This week on Behind the Scenes we're talking to Dejan, one of our Managing Directors.
Dejan’s haka skills might not be the best but he’s pretty good at creating high performance teams and bringing people over to Florence!
Dejan has worked in healthcare recruitment since 2013 and was watching Florence’s progress closely before joining himself in 2019.
Who are you and what do you do at Florence?
My name is Dejan Kojic, I’m managing director for the South of England, the Midlands and Wales at Florence.
The three things I focus most on are growing the volume of users on the Florence app and in turn increasing the volume of shifts.
I ensure that the users of the Florence app have the best possible experience, right through from the beginning of the signup process to being an active Florence user.
I’m also in charge of creating a high performance team, hopefully they go on to be stars whether that’s here at Florence or elsewhere.
What made you want to join Florence?
I began working in the healthcare recruitment space way back in 2013.
At the time I was working for a traditional agency so being from that same sector I had already heard of Florence, I was keeping a very close eye on the progress and development being made.
I thought the concept was brilliant and had potential to be a game changer in the market, a game changer for the better. In 2019, I was absolutely delighted when Samantha from Florence reached out to me.
I had a few conversations with Dan and Charles and they sold me on the vision and the journey that Florence was on, so for me at the time it was an absolute no brainer to join and I've never looked back!
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
One quote that’s always stuck with me is actually a famous Michael Jordan quote that was introduced to me by an old manager.
It goes something like: “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something, but I can’t accept not trying”.
That’s a quote that has stuck with me throughout my entire career.
I always say to the people who work with me and the people that work around me “as long as you’ve given your best in everything that you do then you can always walk away from every situation in your life, be it personal or professional with zero regrets. Your best is your best and if that isn’t enough, then so be it”.
What’s your favourite thing about working at Florence?
It has to be the people.
The people here are incredible. I count myself lucky that I get to work with some of the most intelligent and driven people I’ve ever met.
We’ve built a fantastic team here and everyone is aligned with the Florence values and mission. I’ve learnt so much in my three and half years that I've been here and I continue to do so every single day.
The main reason for that is working with bright and switched-on people.
What’s the biggest challenge Florence is facing at the moment?
Our team has grown super fast.
Back in October we didn’t have a Glasgow or Birmingham office. In the last five or six months we’ve added an additional 60 heads in two new offices.
We’ve had loads of new joiners in Florence which is fantastic, but then it presents the challenge of ensuring we have excellent training and onboarding in place to give people the best possible start and ensure they live and breathe our values.
Scaling that with our teams is probably the biggest challenge we face at the moment.
What’s a fun fact about you that might surprise us?
At the rugby world cup in 2000 I did a haka live on Sky Sports with the Samoan men’s Rugby team.
It was on the pitch before a game with Australia, the Australians absolutely cruised the game so it didn’t have the desired effect but it was loads of fun!
What piece of advice would you give to someone thinking about joining Florence?
Be inquisitive, ask lots of questions, challenge yourself and challenge the status quo.
It’s the best thing you can do.
We’re always receptive to advice and a fresh pair of eyes on the way that we work. But most importantly I just say to people, enjoy the ride!
It’s a bit of a rollercoaster here and you’ve got to make sure that you’re having fun.
Where do you see Florence in five years?
I think Florence is going to be the market leader in our space. In five years we’ll have launched multiple international locations successfully.
I think we’ll be the go-to app for all things healthcare workforce management with millions of users worldwide.
I think we’ll also be known as a great place to work, no matter what stage of your career you’re at.
If you’d like to join the Florence team for the ride, you can! Check out our job vacancies here.
