“The world belongs to the people who take the initiative, who put their head above the parapet and try new and different things. Half of life is showing up, another 25% is taking initiative. That puts you ahead of 75% of people. That’s not a bad place to be”

Bronek Masojada is Chief Executive of Hiscox. Hiscox is a leading global insurance firm with over 2,700 people across 32 offices in 14 different countries.

Following 4 years working for McKinsey & Co Bronek was offered the opportunity to become Managing Director of Hiscox at just 31 (something we go in to detail on in today’s show) and under his leadership the firm has grown from one office of 200 people to the global firm it is today.

Whether your goal is to climb to the top of your consulting firm or take the step out in to industry there’s so much you can take away from Bronek’s insights and advice.

Bronek was kind enough to give me a huge amount of time out of his busy schedule to share his knowledge, learnings and advice with you and I know you’re going to get so much from what he has to say.

We cover a whole range of topics in this conversation including:

The surprising story of how Bronek found himself being offered the role of Managing Director at such a young age.

The challenges he faced moving from Consulting in to this role and how he overcame them

How he has taken Hiscox to where it is today and his advice on scaling a business

How Bronek achieves a good work life balance as the CEO of a global, publicly traded, company – He leaves work earlier than most consultants would ever dream of!

Bronek’s advice for Consultants looking to win work from CEOs like him

And much much more!

You can find out more about Bronek on is linked in page – https://www.linkedin.com/mynetwork/heathrow-redirect/?isSendInvite=true

And on the Hiscox website – https://www.hiscoxgroup.com/about-hiscox/management

Specific Things We Discuss in the show:

Mckinsey & Company – https://www.mckinsey.com/

Robert Hiscox – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hiscox

Lloyd’s of London – https://www.lloyds.com/

Good To Great by Jim Collins – https://amzn.eu/5BOqd4v

How The Might Fall by Jim Collins – https://amzn.eu/bk3R7PF

Tom Peters – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Peters#Works

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson – https://amzn.eu/fOJV9PV

Steve Jobs the movie – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2080374/

What we talk about:

00:01:54 – The story of how Bronek became MD of Hiscox at just 31.

00:08:40 – The questions Bronek asked himself when deciding whether or not to take the role.

00:13:08 – Bronek’s advice for those trying to decide whether they should step out in to industry.

00:17:42 – The challenges Bronek faced moving in to industry and how he overcame them.

00:24:38 – Bronek’s biggest mistake when he moved in to industry and what he learnt from it.

00:28:21 – Bronek’s advice on leadership and the importance of growing as your firm grows.

00:39:33 – The importance of understanding where your firm is on its growth journey and how to avoid ‘crises’ as a result of scaling.

00:42:20 – The common causes of growth challenges in a business and how to overcome them.

00:47:00 – The biggest challenge Bronek has faced as part of his journey with Hiscox.

00:50:01 – The key things to look for when hiring your management team

00:52:09 – How Bronek creates a good work life balance as the CEO of a PLC and how you can do the same

01:00:43 – The importance of empowering your team and removing yourself as a blocker when growing a business

01:04:24 – Bronek’s weekly routine that sets his weeks up for success

01:07:31 – Bronek’s Book Recommendations

01:09:54 – Bronek’s closing advice for you whether you’re just starting out in Consulting, In the middle grades or approaching Partner level.

01:16:45 – How to get in touch with Bronek