By Chelsy Bell Carpenter, VP of Business Development, Ampion Group.
Episode 2
For most of my career, I believed confidence looked like certainty. I thought the best adjusters were the ones who always had the answer. The ones who could walk into any claim, make a quick decision, and confidently defend it. I believed experience meant having fewer questions, not more.
Then I spent more than fifteen years in claims.
I handled simple losses, catastrophic events, emotionally charged conversations, and claims that had no obvious path forward. Over time, something became incredibly clear:
The most respected adjusters I've ever worked with weren't the ones who spoke first. They were the ones who asked the best questions.
Today, as Vice President of Business Development with Ampion Group, I have the privilege of partnering with carriers across the country on some of their most challenging disputes. And if there's one lesson that continues to surface, it's this:
Confidence isn't about knowing everything. It's about knowing when another perspective makes your decision stronger.
That shift in mindset doesn't just produce better claim outcomes. It builds stronger professionals, stronger teams, and ultimately stronger customer relationships.
The Myth of Confidence in Claims
The insurance industry unintentionally rewards certainty. Adjusters are expected to move quickly, make difficult decisions, communicate with confidence, and balance policy language with customer expectations. There is tremendous pressure to appear composed—even when the facts are still unfolding.
Many of us unknowingly adopt the belief that asking for help somehow signals weakness.
We think:
"I should already know this."
"I've been doing this too long to ask."
"If I bring someone else in, maybe they'll question my abilities."
The result?
We spend more time chasing certainty than pursuing clarity.
I've been there myself.
Looking back, there were claims where I waited too long to seek another perspective—not because it wasn't available, but because I believed solving it alone somehow proved my competence.
The irony is that it often did the opposite.
Some of the strongest decisions I've made throughout my career came after inviting someone else into the conversation.
Not because I lacked expertise.
Because complex claims deserve collaborative thinking.
Curiosity Builds Credibility
One of the greatest strengths an adjuster can develop isn't technical knowledge.
It's curiosity.
Curiosity changes the questions we ask.
Instead of asking:
"How do I prove I'm right?"
We begin asking:
"What information am I missing?"
"Who else has experience with something similar?"
"What perspective haven't I considered?"
Those questions create better investigations.
Better communication.
Better documentation.
Better outcomes.
The adjusters who earn long-term trust from policyholders, contractors, attorneys, and leadership aren't the ones pretending to know everything.
They're the professionals who are committed to understanding everything they reasonably can before making the best possible decision.
People trust thoughtful professionals far more than they trust overly confident ones.
Collaboration Protects Integrity
One of the greatest misconceptions in claims is that involving outside expertise means surrendering ownership.
It doesn't.
It strengthens it.
Whether it's an engineer, restoration specialist, estimator, attorney, mediator, or dispute resolution expert, every additional perspective adds another layer of confidence behind the final outcome.
Collaboration creates accountability.
It reduces blind spots.
It strengthens documentation.
Most importantly, it demonstrates integrity.
Integrity isn't stubbornly standing behind a decision because it's yours.
Integrity is having the humility to ensure it's the right decision.
Policyholders notice the difference.
Internal partners notice the difference.
Leadership notices the difference.
The best claims organizations don't expect adjusters to carry every difficult decision alone.
They build systems that encourage collaboration before conflict escalates.
Built to Last Principle:
Confidence Comes from Regulation, Not Ego
This is where my work in burnout resiliency intersects with claims leadership.
For years I believed burnout was simply about working too much.
What I've learned is that burnout changes how we think.
When our nervous system remains in a prolonged state of stress—constantly moving from one urgent decision to the next—our brain shifts into survival mode.
And survival mode craves certainty.
From a neuroscience perspective, uncertainty can feel threatening because our brain is constantly trying to predict and reduce risk. When we're chronically stressed, our prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, problem-solving, and sound judgment—becomes less efficient. At the same time, the brain's threat detection systems become more active.
In practical terms, this means burned-out professionals are more likely to rush decisions, become defensive when challenged, avoid asking for help, or cling to familiar answers simply because they reduce discomfort.
Not because they're poor adjusters.
Because they're operating from a dysregulated nervous system.
A regulated professional thinks differently.
They pause before reacting.
They ask better questions.
They consider multiple perspectives.
They tolerate ambiguity long enough to reach stronger conclusions.
In other words, they don't confuse speed with wisdom.
True confidence isn't driven by ego.
It's grounded in clarity.
And clarity comes when our minds are calm enough to think critically.
That's one of the foundational principles of my Built to Last philosophy:
The quality of your decisions will rarely exceed the quality of your regulation.
The Leadership Takeaway
If you lead adjusters, remember this:
Your team is watching what you reward.
If certainty is always celebrated, people will eventually stop asking questions.
If curiosity is encouraged, collaboration becomes part of the culture.
The strongest claims organizations create psychological safety around learning.
They normalize seeking another opinion.
They celebrate thoughtful investigations—not just fast closures.
Because confident teams aren't built through pressure.
They're built through preparation.
Through collaboration.
Through humility.
And through leaders who understand that no one person was ever meant to carry every difficult claim alone.
Why This Matters
At Ampion Group, we believe outside expertise should never be viewed as admitting defeat.
It should be recognized for what it truly is:
Professionalism.
Knowing when to involve the right resource protects adjusters.
It protects organizations.
It protects policyholders.
And ultimately, it protects the integrity of the claim itself.
When we stop viewing collaboration as a last resort and begin treating it as a strategic advantage, everyone benefits.
Claims move forward with greater confidence.
Customers feel heard and respected.
Adjusters experience less isolation and decision fatigue.
Organizations strengthen consistency across their teams.
That's not just better claims handling.
That's building a profession designed to last.
Let's Continue the Conversation
If you're leading a claims organization and thinking about how to strengthen adjuster confidence, improve customer experience, or equip your team with additional dispute resolution resources, I'd love to connect.
The future of claims won't belong to the professionals who try to know everything.
It will belong to the ones who know when to bring the right people to the table.
Let's build that future together.