BUSINESS PROFILE: SUE ST.LEGER
- What is the name of your business and what is your role? Sue St.Leger & Associates is an Organisational Development consultancy run by myself in collaboration with other associates .
- Describe your business in two sentences. I transform organisations through targeted people development by specialising in job matching, assessments, behavioural Emotional Intelligence, talent management and change management.
- How long have you been in business? My business started on 1 May 2016 and achieved it’s highest turnover in April 2021.
- How did you get into this business? While in corporate I often used to ask people what they would do for a living if money was not an object. My answer was always to help people grow and transform personally, and in turn, help companies grow and transform. I absolutely love the people and organisational development arena and was fortunate enough to work for a global organisation who invested heavily in my development. They gave me international Change Management and Facilitation certification, funded my two degrees and fueled my passion for people development by the variety of opportunities I was given during my time there. I left after 16 phenomenal years and started doing exactly what I had dreamed of doing.
- What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how did you overcome it? Learning to listen to what the client needs, instead of telling them what you can offer. I am a talker and learning to be quiet and listen to understand was a personal challenge. The change in approach from “managing” to “consulting” was a learning curve but becoming an emotional intelligence assessor and practitioner helped me learn about myself on a deeper level and made the transition easier.
- What single trait/skill could you not have succeeded without? Enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn and adapt. The ability to connect and collaborate. I could not have done this alone despite being strongly independent as a person.
- What is the best business advice you’ve received? Brand yourself professionally from the outset. Design a logo that has specific meaning to you, including the colours you choose. My professional profile allowed me to market myself effectively from the outset. And, if you can’t sell yourself, find a product you believe in that you can sell easily which gives you a “foot in the door” for prospective clients.
- Your secret to business success is? I am an avid reader and love learning new skills, doing courses and constantly updating my knowledge. I find this trait has helped me stay ahead of the pack and relevant in an ever-changing world.
- What is your business goal for 2021? I have taken on a distributorship for an excellent new programme based on the PowerUp8 book and I plan to take 50 delegates through this powerful and inspiring course. I achieved my highest turnover in April 2021, so now the goal is to exceed that and set new targets.
- Tell us one thing that not many people know about you? I love sunsets and, after missing out on so many when I was in the corporate world, I now take a few minutes almost every day to sit and enjoy the sunset and be grateful for the moment.