In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata talks to Jodie Rogers, founder of Symbia and author of The Hidden Edge. With two decades of expertise in human behaviour, Jodie shares how leaders can navigate uncertainty and build emotionally intelligent, agile teams. She emphasises the value of emotional and social intelligence, strong professional Relationships and mental fitness in driving performance and resilience.  

“The Edge” is Symbia’s practical, low-cost program designed to help teams develop key skills like focus, prioritisation and Stress management. Jodie explains how their benchmarking tool measures progress and impact across organisations like Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and L’Oréal. The episode highlights the growing importance of mental well-being and proactive development in today’s fast-changing work environment. Jodie’s insights offer leaders a practical path to foster empowerment, engagement, and adaptability in their teams while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Importance of Soft Skills in Leadership: What are often called
“soft skills” – such as emotional intelligence, communication, and
influence – are actually critical life skills necessary for effective
leadership.

2. Navigating Uncertainty and Change: Jodie Rogers highlights that helping people understand how their brains respond to uncertainty can empower them to better navigate it by experimenting, exploring, and creating their own paths forward.

3. The Edge Programme’s Approach to Professional Development: The
Edge programme was discussed as a comprehensive professional development initiative designed to create lasting behavioural change. It focuses on four key phases: enhancing mindsets (self-leadership), driving performance (skills application), growing influence (Relationships) and expanding impact (leadership and mentorship). The programme combines diverse expert trainers and practical, interactive sessions to ensure participants can apply what they learn.

4. Wellbeing and Mental Fitness: Jodie stressed the importance of focusing not just on addressing mental ill Health but also on building mental fitness—developing tools and skills when people are in a stable state so they are better equipped to handle Stress and challenges later

5. Leadership Accountability and Autonomy: Both Andy and Jodie
touched on the necessity for leaders to foster accountability and autonomy within their teams.

To find out more about The EDGE programme, please visit

EDGE

Connect with Andy Lopata Website

Connect with Jodie Rogers Website LinkedIn

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Andy Lopata Author, Podcast Host and Speaker on Professional Relationships Strategy

Andy Lopata is a specialist speaker on professional relationships, mentoring, networking, and social media strategy. He is a firm believer that professional relationships underpin our success in business, our roles, and our careers. The right relationships with the right people can lead to new business opportunities, investment, collaborative working, innovation, and career progress. We just need to be comfortable approaching those relationships strategically, without making people feel ‘networked’ by us.

Andy has worked in the field of networking and professional relationships for 25 years, working with global giants such as Paypal, GSK, AstraZeneca, Wella, HSBC, Wembley Stadium, the BBC, and the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE, among many others during that time. He has also worked with leading universities including NYU, Duke University, and Oxford University’s Said Business School.

A regular blogger for Psychology Today, Andy has been quoted in The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian, as well as many other national and regional newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written or co-authored six books on networking and professional relationships, with his sixth book, "The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring," being published in Spring 2024. He is also the host of The Connected Leadership Podcast and has interviewed globally recognized names in business, academia, sports, and entertainment for the show.

Andy has been inducted into the PSAE Hall of Fame – the Professional Speaking Association Award of Excellence, which was held by only 21 other speakers at the time it was presented. He is a Fellow and a former President of the Fellows’ Community of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA), a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI), and a Member of the Association of Business Mentors and the Meetings Industry Association.