A manager from Norfolk has been crowned leader of the year at a national awards, and says learning to be vulnerable with her staff was what led to her success.
Aimee Konieczny, commercial director at Norwich-based energy consultants Indigo Swan, picked up the prestigious title at the Investors in People awards last month, beating out hundreds of other entrants from across the country.
The manager, who has been in the role since 2018, joined the company nine years ago, and worked her way up from an entry level account manager.
She said taking on a leadership role shortly before the pandemic hit had been “an incredible challenge”.
She added: “Trying to keep people motivated when they’re going through something as disruptive as Covid was very difficult, especially when some are taking on a much bigger workload and others are furloughed.
“I really had to learn to open up myself and be vulnerable with the people I was leading - that’s a hard thing to do, especially as a woman because you worry about being overlooked or called too emotional.”
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