It’s all about the people

In our latest Inspiring Leaders piece, we spoke to Georgina Wilson, one of Chubb Fire and Security UK’s General Managers. George started her career in newspaper sales before becoming a sales director at Rentokil for ten years. She was head-hunted for her job at Chubb and has risen to become a General Manager passionate about inspiring her team and finding and developing new talent.

Early years 

I was born in a small hamlet in East Yorkshire in 1975. I had quite a privileged upbringing to start with; we lived in a Georgian rectory – my parents, brother and I in one half, my grandparents in the other half. We were very family oriented and still are today; it’s important to me. When I was a toddler, I was extremely quiet, so mum took me to my godparent, a GP. The doctor said to mum, ‘It’s because you’re not talking to her; you need to involve her’ because I had an older brother 14 months older than me. And look at me now! You can’t stop me from talking, particularly when I feel passionate about the topic.

From rebel to the model pupil 

I went to a mixed school for my juniors, and I was rebellious, I thought I should always get what I wanted, but I soon learnt that life doesn’t work that way and adapted quickly. But I did enjoy school. Mainly because I am a social butterfly and I thrive when I’m learning new things; that’s where I operate well – it’s around people and development. Then we moved inland to a place near Beverley, in East Yorkshire. Going to school was great as I didn’t have friends down the street, as we lived in the middle of nowhere, so I got to see my friends there. I went to an all-girls school, which was very different from what I was used to. After being a little rebellious at junior school, I was a model pupil at secondary school. I’m not an academic, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy learning – I do, it’s a big value to me. If I’m interested in something, I will absorb it, but if I’m not, I have a million things I’m thinking about. However, I was heavily into sports – I played hockey for the county – and participated in all the available sports; this is where I recognised that I have a competitive side, but always as part of a team. My high school years were fantastic. I made some lifelong friends, and I loved it. I never took a sick day because I never want to miss anything, like how I work today. After leaving school, I went to an agricultural college called Bishop Burton College, which is quite well known. Many of my friends back then were farmers because of where I lived. I studied leisure and tourism. I had no idea what I wanted to do, I just wanted to wear a wax jacket and wellies and walk around and chat with farmers and equestrian people. I still enjoy being in that company today and definitely still enjoy wearing my wellies and Barbour, some things you just can’t shake!

I knew I’d be good at sales

The first job I did was work for the local newspaper. I’d applied for a sales role, but they gave me the job of running a team of people, which I did for a year. Going into sales was something my mum ended up doing. I saw her massive progression through the company until she was on the Board. She took us as a family to all the sales conferences. They were a family-oriented business. As a 14-year-old, I’d put on a suit, have a briefcase, and pretend that’s what I was doing. That’s what spurred me on, and thankfully, today, I’ve lost the briefcase. I knew I would be good at sales. I knew I could grab people’s attention and converse on many different levels. My first real sales job was working at Personal group benefits. I did really well, but I decided that wasn’t where I wanted to continue. It was insurance, which didn’t float my boat. But I did need to work in a large corporate environment. Because I’m quite opinionated and loud, which I have moderated over the years as part of my self-development, I operate better in a corporate environment. I lived in Nottingham at this point. I was 23 and went for a job with an old-fashioned interview process in a hotel. I was up against 39 other women, and I got the job. I spent ten years at Rentokil and worked my way up to sales director. Eventually, I got made redundant at Rentokil. It didn’t mortify me then because I was so young and thought I was the best thing since sliced bread! I immediately entered a job as a regional sales director for HSS Hire. Then it hit me, and I realised I’m not that good! This was an important learning point for me, and I take this into everything I do – be humble, know that you don’t know everything and play to your strengths. Then I realised I didn’t operate well in this environment and needed to return to a corporate job. So, I looked at Chubb and wondered if I could replicate what I did at Rentokil in Chubb. I joined in a sales manager role for Sheffield, Manchester, and Blackburn. The story continues from National Sales Manager to Sales Director to General Manager.

You have to find your replacement 

Being in sales, it was very much about results. It was results for me as an individual to start with, then replicating that with a team and gaining the results but ensuring they had the support and skills to do this. From there, realising I could develop people as well. That was huge for me. I remember being told, ‘the biggest priority you ever have as a manager is you have to develop people.’ I remember my manager at the time saying, ‘you have to find your replacement’ and I thought ‘I’ve only just sat at the desk!’ But it kind of clicked with me. Financial reward is a given in sales. That’s a big driver, it’s massive. But as I’ve progressed in my career, it’s more about achievement and the results that you get, knowing that I’m accountable but can only be achieved as a team. Those pillars of foundation remain the same in management and leadership, without the people we don’t get the results, without the results we don’t get the recognition and the reward, the opportunity to celebrate our success. However, my scope is wider now in terms of the business. How I operate and my team operates impacts the whole business. Very quickly, I worked out that the easiest and quickest way for me to progress is my network. My network here at Chubb is fantastic. I’m now realising it more stepping into GM as I’m tapping up all sorts of people. I can’t do everything. I know that I can be capable and always try to excel in anything that I do, but I can’t know and do everything, right? I can’t put a toolbelt on and go and repair a CCTV camera, but I know somebody who can. My biggest strength is the ability to draw people in to work as a unit, to collaborate and work well as a team, and wherever I’ve been successful – that’s underpinned it.

What’s your typical day at Chubb?

I operate best in the morning and try to hit my desk early. I’m far better with people than sat remote working. I understand you need remote working because you need that time to concentrate and focus on not just the day-to-day but also the bigger stuff that I hope will make a difference, but I have the biggest impact when I’m within a Chubb location. I will address any outstanding emails, so they’re done, and then I tend to structure my day around calls with my team. I will try to touch base with my team as often as possible. I’ve used my mobile phone more in the last few months than I’ve ever used it. I’ll pick up the phone rather than Teams-ing people or emailing. It’s not just my direct team I connect with, I connect with my peer group, which is really important to me right now, being new in post. I’ll lean on my fellow GMs and the wider circle as well, just to keep my network buoyant and to support me in developing within my role, I also hope they get something back from me.

Too much time off work bores me 

I live in a village called Farnsfield in a 250-year-old farmhouse. We look out onto fields. It’s a great place to chill and relax, and I can do that quite well. I’m a big animal lover. The veterinary lady has a couple of horses in the field behind us, and I could watch them for hours. But if I have too much time off, I get really bored. I need people around me. That’s when I’ll pick up the phone and talk to my friends and family. My friends and family are really important to me, and I’ll often socialise at our place or go to other people’s houses. I’ve got a partner, Jayne, and we’ve been together for ten years. Jayne is a city girl from Sheffield, but she has embraced the countryside. I don’t have any hobbies, but I’ve always been interested in aircraft – mainly commercial airlines. I watch them on an app so I see where they’re going, but I also have an Airband radio which will connect into the communications between the planes and the ground so you can listen in. I once connected into an air-sea rescue down in Cornwall, also a plane that had a Mayday callout for an emergency landing. I like to go wandering in the village in my Barbour wellies. I love a welly. I love wax jackets and field coats, country wear in general.

What one word describes you?

Probably something along the lines of ‘entertaining’. I tend to lead most of the things we do regarding friends. My mum will say that she just falls in line with my plans. It’s always about fun. My mum says she’s never known anyone to laugh as much as I do. It’s very infectious. My team would say ‘driven.’ Focussed and driven are two words, so I’ll stick with driven! Are there any attributes you see in people you cannot put up with? One of the biggest irritants is poor grammar. It shouldn’t irritate me, as some people can’t converse freely, but it does frustrate me. I know this came from my nana, who was an English teacher; it informed my worldview as she used to drill this into us as children, and it stays with me through to today.

How do you see a people-first approach at Chubb?

Nothing happens without people. I’m fully aligned with Chubb’s ‘people first’ culture and business, which underpins everything we do. The wheels on the bus don’t turn without the people. But it’s got to be the right people and the right culture which allows people to flourish and progress in an organisation that’s fit for 2023 and beyond. It’s how we develop people and create the destination we want to go on. We are on a journey from a very legacy-based business with huge length of service. We need to bring in new talent – our demographic needs to change slightly. Building great leaders is about allowing people to lead themselves to make decisions that impact the business. It allows people to flourish and progress in an organisation fit for 2023 and beyond; we all have an opportunity to influence our future.

What does Chubb have to offer new talent? 

When I did the Next Generation Leadership Programme, I interviewed a woman at Rentokil who walked me through what they’re doing. It was all-around flexibility. The new generation, they want the biggest title straight away. They want the top pay and flexibility, so you’ve got to manage that expectation. Young people don’t want stepping stones, they want it all now: environment, fun, full of energy and an all-inclusive working pattern and environment. With that, we can excite people and get them to join us on the journey. If you describe a business as a bus going from A to B, Chubb is a bus with music on. Lively and going somewhere. Now we have music on our bus, and people are starting to take note.

Quick-fire questions: 

Black or red?

Red. Because it’s my ‘go-to’ colour on the roulette wheel. I always bet on 32!

Are you a reader or a flicker?

A flicker.

What was the latest movie or series you watched?

I’m not a movie person, I can’t keep my concentration. But I do enjoy true crime like Making a Murderer. The last thing I watched was 11 Minutes, a documentary about the Las Vegas shooting, which was fascinating.

Where do you go on holiday?

I like Italy because that’s where I used to go as a child. I lived out there for a few weeks at college and loved it. I’ve got the accent right and can string a few sentences together, but I’m not fluent in Italian. I also enjoy visiting the Greek Islands.

What’s your favourite car?

It’s got to be a Land Rover, it’s an iconic brand. I remember in 1978/1979, when we had really bad snow. My dad had a long wheel-based Defender. My dad was out rescuing people from snow drifts in the Defender. I just loved it. My passion is to get an old Defender.