Academy for Chief Executives Member of the Year (that’s our Karen) is celebrating 5 years of inspirational leadership with the Academy to add to 10 inspirational years as Happy head honcho. And the secret to her success?
“We are Happy by name and by nature; and that didn’t happen overnight,” Karen told the Academy for Chief Executives’ blog. “It’s as a result of lot of hard work, sleepless nights and an irrepressible desire to be the best we can. Ultimately it’s a focus and a desire to live by what we believe in.
“I realised that the most important thing in business is to be yourself. I remember when I first started that I felt that I should become all serious and formal because this was how I thought I should act.
“But I thought, ‘be true to yourself, Karen’. It didn’t feel right to let my personality be hidden and to be something that I wasn’t, so I chose my own unique way. Stick to what you believe in. Because when you do you deliver it consistently.”
Karen joined the Academy for self-improvement, knowledge and increased awareness. She has learned from some of the Academy’s motivational speakers, in particular Phil Jones from Brother UK, Helen Varey, Roy Jones and Humphrey Walters, who coached the England rugby team.
“The support from my peers here has been invaluable. I am surrounded by good people, successful people, people who push and challenge, who have a great line in awkward questions and possess excellent coaching skills.”
And to celebrate 5 years of delivering consistently with the Academy? A presentation by Academy chair Sarah McDowell, in front of the pumps at Moorhouses Brewery, in Karen’s home town of Burnley.
