Welcome to the next interview in our Activate Allstars series, recognising the amazing people that work for Activate Group and their achievements.
We spoke to Dan Benton who is currently an Operations Team Manager for the credit hire team at Motor Repair Network. Dan has spent 5 years at Activate Group cultivating his skills and acquiring knowledge to work his way up to management.
Read on to learn more about Dan’s inspiring journey and his advice on how to make sure you’re the best candidate for the role you want…
When did you start at Activate Group and what role were you in?
I started my career at Activate Group 5 years ago, when I became a Claims Handler for the Customer Team at MRN.
What first attracted you to your initial role within Activate Group?
I was fresh out of university when I joined Activate Group – I finished on a Friday and started work the following Monday! At the time, I needed a stable job to begin my career at as I’d studied Business Management.
I knew some people who worked here; they told me it was a great environment and they enjoyed working here, so I applied for the Claims Handler role.
Why did you want to progress within the business?
I wanted to set myself up for a successful career here, I wasn’t interested in just having a job, I knew from the offset that I wanted to progress into management.
In my mind, I was focused on this goal; I enjoyed working at MRN and felt comfortable here, so it made complete sense for me to work hard and develop my skills and knowledge to move into management in the future.
What steps did you take to move forward into the role you wanted?
The most important thing I did was take all constructive criticism on board – when I was a Senior, I applied for a managerial role but didn’t get it. I was made aware that I needed to focus more on my professionalism, perhaps my inclination to use balloons as footballs in the office wasn’t helping my case…
With my ambitions focused in my mind, I was determined to be seen as a suitable candidate for management, so I took any criticism I received seriously and worked hard to improve myself and gain as much knowledge as I could.
What support was offered to you in order to help you progress?
I was always very close with the managers I had, so together we set out plans and targets for me to reach the next level. We’d review my actions to keep them in line with the path I was on, and personally I focused on expanding myself in the ways that demonstrated I was management material.
What are all the different roles you have had in the Group?
I’ve had a few different roles but my journey has been quite linear – I started as a Claims Handler, became a Senior Claims Handler, then a Technical Claims Handler, an Assistant Manager, and finally I became Operations Team Manager which I’ve now been in for 2 years.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to progress into a different role within Activate Group?
Step back and look at your suitability – what role would you work best in? Where do your strengths lie? Determine your best qualities and focus on the bigger picture of where you see your career progressing.
Don’t just down tools and give up at setbacks, use them as opportunities to work hard on the areas you need to in order to prove yourself as the best person for the role you want.
I would highly recommend creating your own personal development plan with your manager if you can. Your manager is there to support your growth, and together you can work out the best ways for you to be able to progress to the next level.
What is your proudest moment as part of the business?
Reaching my current role as Operations Team Manager was 3 years in the making so I’m extremely proud of how far I’ve come. When I look back on when I first started at the company, it’s a night and day difference. I’ve progressed so much, learned even more and I can finally say that I’m exactly where I want to be.
What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced within your journey so far?
The biggest challenge was working here during lockdown when lots of the Customer Team were furloughed. I was part of the skeleton staff remaining to look after the work that we did still have coming in, so I covered a lot more than I was used to and it felt high pressure at times.
I learned to deal with stressful situations and used the time to build my reputation as someone who could be relied on to keep the team ticking over and everything under control.
What do you see for your future at Activate Group?
At the moment, I’m happy where I am as I worked really hard to get to this level. I’m really enjoying the side of management where I can nurture my team’s talents and help to bring others up. I’m now in the position to transfer my knowledge and skills to people who are just like I used to be – looking to improve themselves and develop their careers.
Being a manager is slightly different to everything I built it up to be in my view. Yes, there’s lots of stats and data you have to be aware of, meetings to attend and things to be kept in order, but maintaining a culture in which your team can feel satisfied and supported in their work is so important – the performance naturally follows when you get this right.
My immediate future will be focused on continuing to develop this culture and providing the support that my team need from me, but if something else at a higher level comes my way, we’ll just have to see!
