Katie Manning
Global Total Rewards Team Lead
RGP
Episode 287
Transforming HR: Why Emotional Intelligence is Your Blueprint for Engagement
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleFebruary 27, 2025 · 15:44
Thesis
“Emotional intelligence and authentic relationship building are paramount for HR leaders to foster an inclusive culture, design effective programs, and navigate organizational change, ultimately driving employee engagement and business success.”
Show notes
Compensation data can tell you what a role is worth in the market. It cannot tell you whether the person in that role feels seen, heard, or valued. Katie Manning has spent her career at the intersection of those two realities — and she's convinced the second one matters more for retention than most finance teams want to believe.
As former SVP of Global Total Rewards at RGP, Katie developed a philosophy rooted in emotional intelligence: the idea that our feelings aren't soft variables to be managed around, they're the actual substrate of organizational culture. "As human beings, our emotions are just who we are — and the fundamental need to be heard, seen, and understood applies whether you're at work or at home." This shows up in her approach to M&A integrations, where she's watched cultural misalignment destroy more value than any technical integration failure. The fix, she argues, isn't better change management frameworks. It's leaders who've done the work to understand their own emotional defaults — and built teams who have too.
Katie also brings tactical ideas on the daily practice of recognition. Not annual awards or performance bonuses, but quick, specific shout-outs that celebrate what happened today. She advocates for tools like the Predictive Index to create shared vocabulary around working styles — not to box people in, but to give teams a common language for their differences. Her broader message: organizations that make space for vulnerability, model healthy risk-taking, and celebrate small wins don't just have better cultures. They have better business outcomes.
- Emotional intelligence as an HR operating system — not a soft skill, but the foundation of culture and retention
- The vulnerability imperative — why transparent, open leadership creates the psychological safety that drives performance
- Daily recognition practices — moving beyond annual awards to celebrate wins in real time
- Personality assessments as team language tools — leveraging Predictive Index and similar frameworks for better collaboration
- Culture in M&A — why emotional and cultural integration determines deal outcomes more than systems work
- Healthy risk-taking as organizational norm — how to create environments where "failures" generate learning, not blame
What you'll take away
- 1Cultivate an environment of vulnerability and open communication through transparent leadership and consistent one-on-one interactions.
- 2Embrace healthy risk-taking and view 'failures' as crucial opportunities for continuous improvement and learning.
- 3Implement recognition practices, such as quick shout-outs or appreciations, to celebrate daily successes and reinforce positive contributions.
- 4Utilize personality assessments like Predictive Index to enhance team self-awareness, adjust working styles, and leverage individual strengths.
- 5Regularly solicit employee feedback through surveys, town halls, and direct conversations to inform and adapt total rewards and other HR programs.
What most organizations get wrong
In Katie's words
“As human beings, our emotions are just who we are and a fundamental need to be heard, seen, understood that applies whether we're at work or we're outside of work. We should want to and need to bring our authentic selves to work.”
This highlights the foundational human need for authenticity and recognition in the workplace.
“The top reason people leave jobs isn't because of compensation and benefits. It's usually because of poor leadership or a lacking culture.”
This emphasizes the critical role of leadership and culture over purely transactional factors in employee retention.
“My advice is to listen to your people, understand what is important to them, conduct surveys, hold town hall meetings, be present in situations to build connections and relationships, understand the organizational strategy and how your programs support that strategy.”
This outlines a comprehensive approach to designing effective total rewards programs based on employee input and strategic alignment.
“I'm a big proponent of healthy risk-taking. We need to be given space to take healthy risks to try new things, but it's likely that there's going to be a, some kind of failure on some level, and we need to know that the organization is there to catch us.”
This quote advocates for a culture of psychological safety where experimentation and learning from mistakes are encouraged.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employees' primary concern in 2024 is covering monthly expenses, impacting financial well-being.
- •Leaders struggle with creating environments that allow for vulnerability and open communication without 'dumping problems' on teams.
- •Designing effective HR programs is challenging without deep understanding of diverse business priorities and stakeholder trust.
- •M&A situations frequently lead to cultural clashes and perceived loss of control or identity for employees.
- •Rebuilding trust and restoring a healthy culture is significantly harder and more time-consuming than adjusting compensation or benefits.
- •Total rewards programs require constant transformation to meet the varied needs and expectations of a multi-generational workforce.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
I currently lead the global total rewards team at RGP
What's Your Career Journey?
Why is emotional intelligence critical in shaping the full employee experience, and how can leaders cultivate it
Emotional Intelligence in the Full Employee Experience
Emotional intelligence is about understanding people's emotions and giving constructive feedback
What are the Most Effective Ways to Embellish Emotional Intelligence
How does culture influence employee engagement, retention and overall organizational success
Culture and Employee Engagement
Strong relationships are crucial for partnering during M&A situations
Katie, Can Emotional Intelligence Drive a Cultural Shift?
Katie, what parting advice would you like to share with our community
Katie Grubb on Total Rewards
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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