The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Business with Jania Bailey

**SPEAKER_1** (0:03)
The Bliss Business Podcast, the show about empathy, connection and consciousness in business. Today's episode is brought to you by Zero Company, your paid search, social media, and programmatic ad experts.

**Stephen Sakach** (0:16)
I think we're just about to get into some bourbon conversation there.

**Mike Liwski** (0:19)
Bourbon conversation, yeah.

**Stephen Sakach** (0:20)
I was like, hey, yeah, let's do that. But welcome back to the show, everyone. I'm Stephen Sakach, once again, here with my host, Mike Liwski. And this is our last show for 2025 So excited to have our special guest here, so we will introduce in a second. But first, let's talk about the topic here. So studies show that emotional intelligence accounts for more than half of job performance in many roles and is one of the strongest predictors of effective leadership. People want leaders who can navigate pressure, have difficult conversations, but still, you know, make them feel seen, respected and safe. And emotional intelligence is really no longer a soft skill on the side. It's a core business capability that shapes performance, retention and culture. And today, we're exploring what emotional intelligence looks like in leadership, especially in franchising where decisions, you know, ripple out to franchisees, their teams and communities they serve. Mike, introduce our guest today.

**Mike Liwski** (1:19)
Oh, I am super excited to do that, Steve. So yeah, our guest today is Jania Bailey. You may know her as the president and CEO of FranNet. Now, interesting, Jania joined FranNet in August of 2006 So she'll be celebrating 20 years with the organization a little bit later next year. Now, when she joined, she was the president and COO, while the company was really transitioning to new ownership. And then in 2015, she assumed the role of CEO, and she's led the organization really through unprecedented growth, establishing really FranNet as one of the most respected voices in the franchise consultant industry in North America, which we know is a very massive industry in our country. Now, she served as well on the executive board of the International Franchise Association. She chaired the IFA's membership committee and is a certified franchise expert. And then in 2019, she received the IFA's Bonnie Levine Award for her contributions to franchising, really the community work that she has done, as well as the mentorship of women in business. So, Jania, we are so delighted to have you on our show. Welcome to The Bliss Business Podcast.

**Jania Bailey** (2:35)
Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

**Mike Liwski** (2:37)
We really appreciate it. Now, we're going to talk about emotional intelligence today. Jania, why do you think that that topic is so important in our day?

**Jania Bailey** (2:46)
I think it's more important than it's ever been. I think it was important before it was even talked about, because, you know, I know in my career experience, I've worked for people who had no emotional intelligence, as well as those I feel was really plugged in. And it makes a difference in the overall culture of an organization and the climate that you're working in.

**Stephen Sakach** (3:10)
When you think about emotional intelligence, when did that first move from a concept to something you kind of intentionally practiced as a business leader? Or was it kind of always there for you?

**Jania Bailey** (3:20)
Well, I think way back to when I was in banking down in Paducah, Kentucky, and my bank president said to me one time, he never believed in women's intuition until he met me and how I used it in the job. And I don't think it was women's intuition. I do think it was my emotional intelligence kicking in, and how I read people and connected with people. So, and then, you know, a few years later, all of a sudden it becomes a buzzword. So I think I knew about it before I knew about it.

**Stephen Sakach** (3:54)
Paducah, Kentucky. I've got family from Paducah, Kentucky. We don't have to talk about that after the show.

**Jania Bailey** (4:00)
It's a great place to be from.

**Stephen Sakach** (4:03)
Yeah. So, yeah, thinking about... Go ahead, Mike.

**Mike Liwski** (4:08)
Yeah, no, I was... I mean, go ahead, Steve. It's fine. I'll jump in and answer questions. Yeah. So it's interesting, right? Because certainly, Jania, in your seat, you sit in a seat where numbers are really important, right? And as organizations develop and grow, sometimes those numbers and metrics take on a huge...
an over-importance, perhaps over humans. When you start thinking about the unit economics and maybe even a whole system-wide performance. But you've also worked with a lot of people. And the IFA, the franchise community, is a very big but also such a gracious community. And so you're making really changes in lives when you're interacting with all of these people. And so decisions, you just have to be made in consideration of both those metrics and perhaps the people. So I'm curious, how do you balance some of those hard business requirements or those hard business decisions with the emotional reality that franchisees bring to the table?