091 Jeff Cates - Leading with Compassion and Conviction

Jeff Cates is the CEO and President of Achievers, an industry-leading employee voice and recognition solution that accelerates a culture of performance. Prior to his time at Achievers, Jeff was the CEO and President of Intuit Canada, during which time the company was named a top great place to work in Canada year after year and was also recognized as a top employer for women and millennials. Jeff’s impressive background also includes roles with industry leaders Apple and Hewlett-Packard. In this episode, Jeff and Aviv expound on the democratization of employee engagement, the value of innovation and the role that passion plays in leadership. Finally, Jeff shares his insights on the importance of wanting to do good, give back and truly connect with people as a leader.

00:46 – Aviv introduces today’s guest, Jeff Cates who shares what he enjoys most about his work at Achievers and the work they are doing to hear the voices of their employees 07:24 – Jeff expounds on employee engagement and the philosophy that shapes his approach 14:07 – Jeff speaks to where his passion for leadership and helping people came from 17:08 – Formative moments from Jeff’s early career with Apple and Hewlett-Packard 24:08 – Jeff reflects on the importance that innovation has played throughout his career 30:07 – Jeff details the guiding principles that are critical for building high functioning leadership teams 32:56 – A moment where Jeff showed courage as a leader 35:18 – Jeff highlights the different challenges posed from working in a large and a small organization as well as insights he has gleaned from sitting on different boards 38:40 – Where Jeff sees himself in five to seven years 39:25 – Advice Jeff would give to his younger self 42:31 – Two learnings Jeff values above all others and final words of wisdom from Jeff

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.avivconsulting.com/cnf91