Setting intentions as a father, a colleague, and a Swiftie…

It has been a busy first month at Legal & General. As I stop counting working days and move into month two, it is a good moment to stand back and reflect on what’s ahead, and where to focus my energy.

One of our Non-Executive Directors, Nilufer von Bismarck, introduced me to the concept of “rolling resolutions” in a recent town hall. So, slightly different to the geeky New Year’s resolutions I have been doing for decades, I’ve been thinking about setting intentions for the different roles that I play - at home, at work and in life more generally. Fortunately, I counted 10 (my second favourite number after three ??):

1.?As a father… I want to make sure the transition back to London is smooth for the family and that we continue to protect our time together. This means helping Inês and Nico settle back into school, and continuing to support them to be happy, confident and curious young people. One thing I’m sure we will continue to debate (increasingly with them!) is how to manage their relationship with technology. As a family, our mantra is “hugs are good, phones are bad”, and we are strict about no phones at the dinner table (Inês and Nico now repeat back to us “no toys at the table” if they see a phone in sight) encouraging analogue activities - the current obsession is competitive games of Rummikub. The one exception is a family movie over the weekend which is chosen by the Rummikub winner (think Disney, Disney, Disney).

2.?As a Swiftie… the last few weekends have been spent on another analogue activity: making friendship bracelets with Inês, Nico (and a reluctant Tomas) while listening to Taylor Swift. I could tell you I am doing it for the kids, but I am a proud Swiftie. I recently shared this not-so-guilty secret with my team, and also that I started my teenage years at the other end of the musical spectrum, as a bass player in our teenage band, Nekropolis (think long hair – yes really – and headbanging). The joy I felt then, and the joy that I see in my kids, has got me thinking that I should pick up an instrument again, or at least find ways to bring Tay Tay’s music to the office! (the family is very lucky and excited to be seeing her at Wembley this summer).

3. As a husband… Tomas and I are celebrating 21 years together this year, and 17 since we got married in the quaint town of Pedraza (1h30m outside Madrid). With so much going on, our time together has become even more precious. Tomas avoids all forms of social media and won’t see this, but I am super proud of his courage and amazing skills pursuing his interest in art and drawing. My resolution is to back him unconditionally (the same way he has been there for me) and to make sure I don’t miss our Friday date-nights, protect our family holidays and stay completely off email from 5pm on Friday to 5pm on Sunday.

4. As a CEO… I want to make time to stand back and think about where the world is going and what that means for Legal & General. Developing an exciting yet credible vision for the future is key for our people and our shareholders. I have been listening to them and what they expect from us. I am getting under the skin of our businesses (asking lots of questions!) - now is the time to work together to bring an ambitious growth strategy to life.

5. As a customer obsessive…?as in every role I have been in, I am making time to meet our customers, be it the members of our pension schemes, our retail customers, our institutional clients, our partners and our co-investors, to really understand them and how we can better serve them. That means taking a step back to ask ourselves “what does this decision mean for our customers?”. Putting customers at the centre of our business and at the top of our priority list is how we succeed in the long run. We need to figure out what that means in practice for Legal & General.

6. As a leader…? to be focused on both ‘the what’ and ‘the how’, valuing the results but critically also the human beings who are delivering them, particularly thinking how different teams work together. I have just finished an offsite with my team, where we agreed a series of principles on how we want to work together, making room for disagreement and debate, committing to “play the ball, not the person”.

7.?As a coach… a successful team needs to trust and know one another well, so I start each team meeting with a quick check in, asking “how are you feeling?” (“okay” and “fine” are not acceptable answers!). It also helps us understand one another’s personal and professional ambitions, and then putting them into individual development plans. I have transparently shared my own assessment report with strengths and development areas with the team and encouraged them to do the same with their teams.

8.?As a colleague… stay curious and open. I said my first priorities were to “listen, listen, listen”. I will continue to be open minded, engaged and eager to hear a wide range of views. Corny as it sounds, my door will always stay open to anyone – thank you to the many colleagues who have already sent me emails or approached me in the corridors, lifts or coffee shop.

9. As a dreamer… as I approach 50 (note to self and to Tomas: need to start thinking about celebrating with friends March 2025), I want to continue to focus on keeping mentally and physically fit (gym training, yoga, meditation) and staying healthy (reminder: make sure to do regular medical check-ups). Now is also the right time to think about where I want to be in 15 years’ time, when the children stop wanting to make friendship bracelets, and are leading their own independent lives.

10. As a friend… I made a conscious decision last year to spend time with the 15 most important people in my life beyond immediate family (you know who you are!). Last month, I received the tragic news that a friend passed away the day before his 49th birthday. We inter-railed across Europe together three decades ago and had sadly not seen much of each other post university, when I moved abroad. It was another reminder of the scarce weeks we have left, and to recommit to this resolution in 2024 and beyond.

Keeping these resolutions “rolling” means being honest about progress but also flexible, adaptable and compassionate towards myself when things (inevitably) don’t go according to plan. Above all, I want to enjoy the ride and have fun… as a leader, father, friend, and, of course, a Swiftie!