There are careers built by following a straight line, and then there are careers built by curiosity. Cherylyn Harley LeBon belongs to the latter.
Her path has moved through Capitol Hill, federal agencies, international business, private practice and some of the most complex corners of government contracting and construction law. At each stage, the title changed. The environment changed. The stakes changed. What remained was her instinct to keep learning. “I’m a lifelong learner,” LeBon says. “Whenever I decide to choose a particular path, I always think about how is this next role going to enhance my career and what skills am I going to learn and how is this particular next journey going to help me in life?” Today, as she leads the Government Contracts Practice at Cohen Seglias, that instinct has become more than a career philosophy. It is the way she has learned to move through uncertainty, complexity and leadership itself. “I think it’s really important to continue to learn additional skills and to take on new challenges because for me, I think that’s what makes life exciting.” Her career has given her a rare vantage point on leadership. She has watched it up close in government, politics, business and international settings, learning as much from what she did not want to emulate as from what she admired.
Cherylyn Harley LeBon, Speaking at Canisius Univserity Image provided by: Emily Braun Photography
That same adaptability is critical for the businesses she advises. In government contracting, where administrations, budgets and priorities can shift quickly, LeBon says the companies most likely to thrive are the ones willing to accept change and adjust accordingly. Businesses must “follow the money,” she says, understand new budget priorities and be prepared to rethink strategic and business-development goals when necessary.
When the stakes are high, however, her own philosophy becomes remarkably simple.
For companies considering government work, her advice is practical.
“Be decisive, be clear, and be consistent.” — LeBon
“The most important thing that I would say to those entering this industry is simply put, you need to find the appropriate advisors who can help you scale and grow and be compliant in this industry.” That means bankers, accountants and attorneys who understand government contracting, because the rules, financial structures and contracts differ from those in ordinary commercial work. The opportunity, however, is substantial. “The government contracting industry is a trillion-dollar industry, and the government is the largest procurer of goods and services,” LeBon says.
“People in your team look for you to be able to make decisions,” she says. “When you’re communicating to your team during a crisis, it’s important to be clear.” Consistency, she believes, is what allows people to trust the person leading them when circumstances around them are changing.
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