INSPIRATIONAL LEADER
Good all-rounders make great leaders
To be an effective business leader, you need a multitude of good qualities, skills and aptitudes. That’s the view of BRIEGE LEAHY, the forward-thinking, can-do CEO of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.
It’s a position she’s held for almost three years after a highly successful career in sales and business development – which included creating, growing and ultimately selling a technologybased logistics business. She says: “Whatever business you’re leading, the fundamentals are the same. You need to have self-confidence and a positive attitude, an inherent belief in yourself that makes others want to follow you. “It can be lonely. If things are not going well, you cannot always share with your staff as they will worry too. You’ve got to think strategically to get out of trouble and solve problems. “A leader must also have integrity, honesty and a strong moral compass – every single day. You gain respect by doing what you say you’re going to do. That said, you can’t be dictatorial and just bark out orders; this approach rarely works. You have to listen. If you let staff have their say and deliver something that they can be proud of, you will gain more in the long run. Employees are a company’s most important asset; in my current role, we would not have achieved as much as we have without my team and our members.” Briege cites an ability to communicate, plan, create and innovate as other key attributes that a leader must possess. “Essentially, you need to be a good all-rounder,” she says. “Delegation is key; a good leader needs to entrust others to do certain tasks, especially as the business grows. Many CEOs find this difficult, but you can’t do everything, and you need to employ people who are as good or better than yourself. “Another important trait in a business leader is humility. Not every decision you make is the right one, so you need to acknowledge this and be able to change tact if you realise you’ve gone down the wrong path.” Briege is busy putting all of these qualities to good use in her current role at the Chamber, where despite the challenges of the pandemic she and the team have grown the membership (with an impressive
retention rate of 92%) and staff numbers to 14. She has also driven forward several successful initiatives including the Entrepreneur Foundation, which provides training and advice by connecting budding entrepreneurs with experienced mentors, and Let’s Keep the Heart in Hertfordshire, a scheme that encourages businesses and individuals to connect, collaborate and buy local to boost the county’s economy. Prior to this she built up an impressive track record in industry, helping to build a £3m logistics business before being headhunted for a sales role at a leading international logistics corporation. There she played a major role in growing revenues and preparing the company for a successful acquisition, and then in 2010 she decided the time was right to launch her own venture, Luna Logistics. The company provided specialist logistics services to the banking/ATM, data centre, digital imaging, healthcare, retail, leisure and telecommunications sectors over the course of eight years before it was acquired. “It was not without its challenges,” recalls Briege. “The roller coaster of starting a business and building it into a successful enterprise is both consuming and joyful. It takes courage, hard work, self-belief and a bit of luck at times. It is however a very rewarding personal achievement.” A few months later, the Chamber opportunity came knocking and Briege embarked on the latest chapter of a colourful career. Having kept staff motivated and supported businesses during the pandemic, her next challenge is to grow the membership base, develop her team of staff, and find innovative ways to further improve the Chamber’s services.
Essentially, you need to be a good all-rounder, delegation is key; a good leader needs to entrust others to do certain tasks, especially as the business grows. Many CEOs find this difficult but you can’t do everything if you’re a £10m turnover business with 100 staff.
“There are opportunities out there and we’ll be ready to help businesses exploit them,” says Briege. “There will be challenges, too, but the resilience of Hertfordshire’s business community was evident during the pandemic. This quality will hold businesses in good stead as they navigate future unexpected events.” “The world is changing fast and it’s an exciting time to be in business – and for me to be leading Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce in this fantastic county.”
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