Make tough decisions to ensure you triumph

A record 140 companies and organisations had stands at the festival, organised by the Chamber of Commerce, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Speakers included Karren Brady, managing director of Birmingham City Football Club, and Allan Pease, author of the best-selling book, Body Language.

Many exhibitors proclaimed the festival "the best yet" and already people are signing up for next year's event.

Make tough decisions to ensure you triumph

YOU have to be cruel to be kind sometimes in business, according to Karren Brady, the 34-year-old managing director of Birmingham City Football Club.

Ms Brady, who was the youngest ever managing director of a plc when she took over the reins of the Blues in 1993 aged just 24, was the guest speaker at the third annual Herefordshire and Worcestershire Business Festival, at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, yesterday.

When she took over the ailing club, tough decisions had to be made - in particular letting people go - and has gone on to make record profits for the club.

"If you want to succeed, you have to grab new and better management ways as they come along," said Ms Brady, who is married to Sheffield United footballer Paul Peschisolido.

The mum-of-two juggles her career with family life and was speaking at the festival about "Managing Change to Achieve Your Goals".

"My first priority, on and off the field, was to change the people.

"It's about training, discipline and hard work and, most of all, attitude.

"Attitude dictates how well you do something."

She said it was very important to motivate her staff, especially when the average yearly salary of £23,000 was what the "average" footballer earned in a week.

"Employees need three things," she said.

"Determination, enthusiasm and knowing that their individual contribution helps make the business a success.

"I always say to my staff 'don't be afraid to want to sit where I sit'."

One innovative scheme Ms Brady introduced was job swaps with national and local companies.

"It's well known we learn from our mistakes but I believe it's important to learn from other peoples' successes.

"So we phoned up HMV and our receptionist swapped with their receptionist for a week.

"We also do job swaps with NEXT and the National Exhibition Centre, in Birmingham, among others."

On customers, Ms Brady said it was crucial to make sure a supporter - who is a "captive audience" - becomes a paying customer.

"In one regard, your supporters are very loyal customers, because they're not going to wake up one morning and support Aston Villa.

"But a supporter may not qualify as an active supporter because he or she is not buying tickets, shirts and so on.

"It is up to us to get him out of his armchair and become a paying customer.

"I tell my staff that what we're doing is actually staging 23 events a year - we must make the most of every one.

"Once the game has gone, the opportunity to earn from it has gone forever."

Ms Brady, who starts every employee off with a day sitting next to her in her office, said she had developed her own style of management over the years, especially with the added challenge of juggling a family.

She said success boiled down to seven principles - leadership, ambition, determination, attitude, direction, courage and thinking positively.

"If I had to pick one characteristic about myself, that has helped me to succeed, it would be determination. The easiest thing is to quit, but you have to have persistence - you have to press on."