It has come to my attention that there has been some discussion about me in regards a certain person amd some calls outside of work and I wanted to address this directly so people understand where I stand and who I am.
First and foremost, my role is TL. I met each of you through work, and therefore work will always come first in our relationship. In my view, there should never be any conflict between a TL and a handler where we are all committed to doing our jobs to the best of our ability and working towards the same goals.
I consider myself a fair person. I am firm, but I am fair. I am not afraid to call out performance concerns where I believe standards are not being met, because that is part of my role.
I will always review files, and where I identify concerns, I will raise them. There is an expected standard of performance required from all of us, and part of my role is ensuring risk is managed appropriately and that we continue to deliver the right outcomes for our customers and the business.
When I review files, I am generally asking myself three questions: What are you doing? Why are you doing it? And how are you doing it? There are certain regulatory and business standards that we have to adhere to, but there is also room for everyone to bring their own strengths and personality into the way they handle claims.
It is in my ow selfish interest to e.courage you to work independently as it reduces my workload and more important gives you autonomy because this is what many of you are feeding back to the company.. that said with autonomy comes great responsibility..i need to see evidence that risks are understood that appropriate investigation have take place and decisions are made on clear facts and evidence.... cos if we get this wrong consequence can be significant in ter.s of increased cost..poor customer outcome....i will always encourage independent thinking cos that is how people learn and build confidence in their decision-making.. i dont micromanage..if i ever have to do that it will only be cos there would have been clear signs the same issues continue to arise despite feedback discussions and commitment to improve...where there is a pattern or repeat mistake and lack of change my responsibility is to step in and have more oversight to ensure right actions are taking place...
What you can expect from me is that I will support you, encourage you and go the extra mile for you. I am not afraid to get into the work alongside you.. for.you and with you.. that is not ny job but i will do it because we are a team and i always advocate one for all and all for one...I will stand up for my team and I will challenge criticism on any of you where I do not believe it is justified. If it is justified we take it on the hin and we learn from it...
The only thing I ask in return is that everyone comes to work prepared to do their best and give their best effort. That is what I expect from myself every day, and therefore it is what I will expect from others.
A key part of my role is giving feedback. I believe we have to be honest about what is working and what is not. If I see behaviours that create risk, delay progress or impact customer outcomes, I will raise them..
From a our.job requirement , closing incoming post without acting on it is not acceptable.. not refering when you should is not accetable...Repeatedly moving files without understanding what is happening on the claim is not acceptable..not reading notes on files to be clear what is going on and making decisions without relevant facts is not acceptable. Not acting on referral feedback is not acceptable. Missing key actions on files is not acceptable. If I see these things, I will call them out.
My preference is always to deal with concerns directly through a one-to-one basis via refferals feedback...i will also give feedback on admin related tasks that may have been ommitted...If that resolves the issue, great. If it does not, I will start to formalise the feedback so there is a documented record. If the concerns continue and become more significant, then I will involve the Operations Leader. That is not about punishment; it is simply the appropriate process.
I should be able to have open conversations with any handlers about files and decisions without every discussion requiring Operational Leader involvement. However, it is important to understand that Operations and Technical Leadership work very closely together. Our guidance is aligned because we share responsibility for supporting the team and ensuring standards are maintained.
I am a loyal and trustworthy person, and I will strongly defend my integrity. I know who I am, I know the effort I put into this role, and for my team and I know the standards I hold myself to. I am work-focused, and I appreciate that can sometimes be quite obvious, although those who know me well will also know I have my moments where my random thoughts take over.
I treat everyone equally. I do not believe in favourites or preferential treatment. If I provide feedback to one person for a particular behaviour, I will provide the same feedback to anyone else displaying the same behaviour. Consistency is important to me.
One of the biggest satisfactions I get from leadership is seeing people develop. Watching someone's confidence grow, seeing them improve technically and helping them achieve goals is a huge part of why I became a leader in the first place.
I am not perfect. There will be occasions where I get things wrong, when i am reviewing files...where I misunderstand something or where another perspective helps me see a situation differently. I welcome challenge where it is constructive and supported by evidence. Healthy discussion makes better decisions. When i call.to.discuss c a ses i do so to help me get better understanding from you at the frontline...
When I provide direction on claims, it is rarely based solely on my own opinion. I regularly seek views from other sources before making recommendations, particularly on more complex or contentious matters.
When I call to discuss a case, I expect handlers to have a basic understanding of their file because I want a genuine discussion, not simply a conversation where I tell somebody what to do. I want to understand your thinking, your consideration..investigations..and assessment of the evidence. This helps me understand the claim and supports better decision-making. It is one of the reasons I consistently encourage direct customer contact where appropriate.
Everything I do comes back to doing the right thing based on the facts and evidence available. Sometimes there is room to take a calculated approach, but only where the risks have been properly considered if i do this i tell you and reasons why...
The reason I am writing this is because I want everyone to understand who I am and how I operate. If I have not been clear in the past, I want to be clear now.
I generally avoid engaging in regular out-of-work conversations because I do not want to blur the lines between my work responsibilities and my personal life. That is simply a boundary I choose to maintain. However, if someone contacts me, I will usually respond. I am naturally quite private, it takes.a lk.g tome.to get to.know me.. i have a very strict code i adher to in terms of who i associate with outside of work...but those who know me also know that I am a warm person and approachable.
When I first joined the team, there was some friction. In my view, that was because some aspects of our role responsibilities had drifted away from the fundamentals and we needed to re-focus on evidence, ownership and technical standards. My role was to support that change and help people become the best version of themselves professionally. We have now come.over that hump and we are doing brilliantly...
If you tell me what you want to achieve, I will genuinely do my best to help you get there. I will support you, develop you and invest my time in you.
feedback is never the end of the world. Mistakes happen. Files can be corrected. Learning comes from identifying what could have been done differently and improving next time. My intention when giving feedback is never to catch people out. It is to support development, reduce risk and help all of us succeed.
At the end of the day, if I have to take criticism, complaints or difficult conversations on behalf of the team, then so be it. That's part of being a leader. What I ask in return is openness to feedback, willingness to learn and a commitment to doing the right thing for our customers and each other.
I need you to be clear with me. If you would prefer our file review to be me telling you what to do rather than exploring your reasoning and decision-making, then so be it. My preference, however, is to take a development-led approach where I understand your thought process, challenge your thinking where appropriate, and help you build confidence in making independent decisions by understanding the risks involved in our approach to the claim. That, in my view, is how people develop and grow in the role.
Ultimately, I appreciate that my style will not suit everyone, However, the expectations I set are not personal preferences; they are the standards required of the role and the responsibilities we have to our customers, the business, and each other.
You do not have to agree with every piece of feedback I provide, but I do expect an openness to reflect, and engage constructively with it. My commitment is to support, develop and advocate for my team, but equally I will continue to challenge behaviours and performance issues where they arise. I will not lower my standards, compromise on quality, or avoid difficult conversations simply because they are uncomfortable.
My role is to lead with fairness, consistency and integrity, and that is exactly what I have always done and will do..
