My Perfect Broker Week: Clear Group’s Victoria Gallimore

What constitutes the ideal start to your working week?

I feel fortunate that I love what I do, so I embrace Monday mornings. I always try and arrive early on a Monday so I can get organised and see what is scheduled during the week ahead.

I make sure I set weekly goals, making sure I understand the business priorities and aligning my work to this. You can’t plan everything and if I come in to something urgent on a Monday morning I will make that priority one and not let the fact that I don’t have a plan for the week distract my thoughts.

In terms of working in the office to home/other, what does your working week now look like?

I work in an office location two to three days a week. Now we have over 15 offices in the UK this can be in different locations. Its great to see people and be in the office just listening to what is happening in the business.

What does a productive in-person, in-office meeting with your own team look like to you?

With everyone in the same room, it’s a great opportunity to maximise collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.

We have a clear agenda, which focuses discussions on what it is we are looking to achieve. It is also a great opportunity for people to be fully engaged in the discussion (and not looking at emails) and it encourages more creative problem solving and genuine open feedback. (We also make sure we have enough time to share socially – find out what’s happened at the weekend, how each other’s families are, and celebrate any personal successes!)

What does an ideal lunch break look like to take your mind off the day job?

On the days I am working from home, I make a conscious effort to have lunch with someone in my family who is also working from home so we can ensure we all step away.

If I am in the office, its nice catch up with someone I may not have seen in a while. Sometimes I will look at LinkedIn to see what is happening across my network, or listen to a podcast from industry leaders to take my mind away from my role but also continue to learn and develop my knowledge.

We all know evening meet-ups are important for networking. What is the best after work event you have recently attended?

I recently got to attend the British Insurance Awards with some colleagues – such an amazing event. It’s wonderful to see our industry celebrated and hear about all the success stories.

Team bonding is also key to a successful broking business. What have you found is a successful way to keep team spirits up?

It’s all about communication and seeing a bright side to everything (and yes that can get annoying).

The team are motivated when they know what the business strategy is, how we as a team and them as individuals can contribute to this to have a positive impact. There is no problem we can’t solve together and being part of a country wide team, its great to know there is a strong support network that can be called upon.

Have you had a ‘workation’?

Nope. If I am going on holiday, I want to get my headspace in the holiday mode! If I knew my laptop was with me, I am not sure if I could ever actually relax into the holiday part as there is always just one more email…

On Friday evening how do you like to wind down after a busy week?

I organise my inbox at the end of my working week and when I have finished I make sure I leave all my work-related items (phone, laptop, etc.) in my office and lock the door.

I don’t have a anything specific I do to wind down, but my end-of-week routine puts me in the right frame of mind to leave work behind and enjoy my weekend. I make sure I dedicate time to my family and get at least 10 hours’ sleep each night during the weekend, which I believe contributes to my positive start to the following week.

Victoria Gallimore will be part of the panel Winning the Talent War in the Insurance Industry at Broker Expo on 12 October at the NEC Birmingham. To sign up to join her – click here.