As in the natural world, there are a multitude of approaches brokers can take to ensure survival and success—although the evolution is taking place at a far faster clip. (Image: Shutterstock)

When most of us hear the word “evolution,” we think of the classic image showing a transition from ape to modern Homo sapiens, often depicted in five or six rough caricatures—you know the one. While this picture has become ubiquitous with the idea of adaptation, the reality, of course, is much more subtle and complicated.

BenefitsPRO editor-in-chief Paul Wilson
reflects on broker adaptability.

Maybe the most famous example of the more understated reality is the group of finches scattered across the Galapagos Islands that helped initiate Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and have since become a classic example of adaptive radiation. In the roughly two million years since their common ancestor arrived on the islands, the finches have evolved into 15 recognized separate species, varying in body size, beak shape, song and feeding behavior. Changes in the size and form of their beaks have allowed the different species to specialize in various food sources, including insects, seeds, nectar from cactus flowers and even blood from iguanas, depending on their island.

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