Episode 22
Brand Story Podcast

Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

featuring Connie Hess

Partner and General Manager at Valley Engineering

Connie Hess, Partner and General Manager at Valley Engineering, discusses company culture and leadership with our president, Steve Gilman.

If you treat your employees well, they will treat your customers well. It’s something Connie Hess and her team at Valley Engineering practice every day. Leadership and company culture have been at the forefront of Connie’s mind since she joined the business 22 years ago. Being flexible, listening, and adapting your communication skills are the keys to successful relationships, both with internal and external clients. In fact, according to Connie, emotional intelligence is one of the most overlooked skills when it comes to creating a flourishing company culture.

From the company’s popular ‘red dot moments’ to their internal book club, we hear about the different approaches Valley Engineering takes to maintain a thriving working environment for their employees. We also discuss the importance of adapting with change and how to look beyond intellectual intelligence as the sole predictor of success.

About the Guest

Connie Hess

Partner and General Manager at Valley Engineering

Connie worked in the financial industry before a client convinced her to make the switch over to engineering in 2000. Since then, she has used her expertise in business operations and strategic planning to grow the company’s staffing over 300% while diversifying Valley Engineering’s regional presence. Her implementation of the company’s High Performance Group training program remains a key component of maintaining the company’s culture today.

Quickfire Q&A

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?

You can’t demand respect, you must earn it. One of the greatest gifts that I’ve ever gotten is to have grown, as a person and in leadership, to be very vulnerable in front of people.

How has your perspective on being a leader changed over the past couple of years?

I don’t think it’s necessarily changed. What I’ve noticed is we have all been very adaptive, and our leadership has been adaptive. So making sure that we are kind of rolling with the punches, whatever happens.

Is there any one lesson your job has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in life?

I think the biggest component of growing as a leader is to be a lifelong learner, never to get stuck in a rut. Even if things have been done a certain way before, always be open to new things.

Related Links

Connie on LinkedIn

About The Host

Steve Gilman

As the President of Gravity Group, Steve is passionate about helping brands reach their goals through honest, creative marketing and powerful brand stories.

LinkedIn