If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, is it possible to run your business by consensus, or are there some decisions you just have to take on your own? Penny de Valk of the Institute of Leadership and Management, and young entrepreneur Rachel Bryan, discuss. This was the exciting headline of the programme Woman’s Hour on 19^th May, where Rachel Bryan, our CEO, was invited to discuss her approach to leadership as a woman.

When asked about how long it took her to find her personal style as a leader of an international translation company, Rachel said that she has gradually discovered the managing style she had to adopt during these 2 years as CEO for Veritas. Series of events, experiences and feedback from her staff have helped her shape and improve her approach as a manager. Rachel’s cup of tea is collaboration, as she likes discussing things rather than just delegating. However, she always bears in mind that she is not responsible for her staff only, but also for Veritas as a company and this means having the ultimate responsibility for difficult decisions.

So, MEETINGS are the way forward! Although lots of meetings might sound daunting, Veritas’ style is to make decisions while working. Since we are a professional translation services provider and translation involves collaboration, discussing things has always been part of our education. So it is not really a duty, but rather a daily practice in the office.

And last but not least… is Rachel is a real BOSS? Well, she likes to take a balanced approach: if you act like a dictator, your employees will not take any risks as you are too oppressive, but maintaining responsibilities and financial matters sometimes require a firmer hand. Of course, this depends on the industry, the situation and the people (but we are lovely, aren’t we?).

And if you want listen to the discussion again, just click here!

If you would like to get in touch with us, please do comment below, or for more information about the services offered by Veritas, please visit our professional translation services page.

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