My Perfect Broker Week: Atlanta Group’s Leon Carford

What constitutes the ideal start to your working week?

Blocking out the first hour of a Monday morning to work through my to-do list and get myself organised for the week.

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

We have hybrid working within Atlanta Group and shoot for at least two days a week in the office – sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less depending on need.

We operate a principle of ‘Purposeful Presence’, which is all about making the best use of face-to-face time but not doing it for the sake of it.

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

Having a clear objective, having a defined agenda and having discipline about capturing and sharing next steps.

Equally important to that though is being able to remind ourselves that we are people first by having a bit of a giggle and finding out what to watch next on Netflix.

What does a productive in-person, in-office meeting with an insurer partner look like to you?

Productive partner meetings are two-fold for me. Firstly it’s being outcome focused and knowing what you are trying to achieve. Secondly, it’s about building a connection so that both sides feel comfortable to pick up the phone for a quick chat.

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

When I’m in the office, it’s a short walk around town to clear my head – perhaps listen to a bit of music or a podcast. When I’m at home, it’s having lunch with my wife and daughter to remind myself why I really do the day job.

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

We hosted an evening event called Breaking the Bias, which was all about career barriers for minority ethnic professionals. The quality of the conversation afterwards was unreal and a lot of people went home with more open minds and a lot to consider.

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

We make sure that we get together as often as we can and when we do, we make sure we try and have a bit of fun. It’s also important to be able to remind each other what we’ve been up to so that people have respect and empathy for the work and challenges others are facing.

Another thing I am a big fan of is picking up the phone to someone you haven’t spoken to for a while, even if just for a quick hello.

Have you had a ‘workation’?

I haven’t but I would like to.

What would the ideal ‘workation’ look like for you?

A nice coffee shop, with lovely views and weather, I think.

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

A nice meal and a good film, ideally something light-hearted.

Leon will be part of the panel Navigating the 2024 regulatory framework at Broker Expo on 12 October at the NEC Birmingham. Sign up to join Leon – click here.