Podcast: Manage Smarter with Jeff Risley
“The more managers and leaders learn how to be more self aware and relate to people with empathy, active listening and the right amount of support and challenge, the better they will be at getting the best out of people.”
Chief Client Officer Jeff Risley recently sat down with Audrey Strong and C. Lee Smith, hosts of the Manage Smarter podcast, to discuss emotional intelligence, our obsessed for good philosophy and more.
In the podcast, Jeff demonstrates the importance of utilizing emotional intelligence in the workplace. When managers and leaders ignore emotional intelligence in interactions with their direct report and peers, it can be a critical mistake. Taking the time to understand peoples’ feelings and helping them appropriately face and guide their emotions, leads to more positive outcomes. At Saxum, we work with GiANT Worldwide to help us better understand emotional intelligence and how it plays into daily life in the workplace. Their framework gives us a common language and set of tools that help us focus on treating others how they want to be treated.
Jeff also expands on our obsessed for good philosophy and what that means for our clients. Our goal is to help them create meaningful and measurable change beyond their bottom line. Being purpose-driven is important in today’s world, especially as the demand for ESG strategies and transparency around sustainability efforts grows. People want to see brands take a stand. As Jeff puts it, you need to figure out what you care about, what your purpose is and get engaged in an authentic way. If you’re going to be a purpose-driven business, you need to engage in sometimes uncomfortable situations to take a stand. Your customers will flock to you because of it.
