The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Business with Kelly Roddy
Emotional intelligence is not a “nice to have” for leaders anymore.
A study of more than 300 organizations found that leaders with higher emotional intelligence were associated with significantly higher employee engagement, productivity, and profitability, making EQ one of the strongest predictors of leadership effectiveness.
In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with Kelly Roddy, CEO of WOWorks, to explore how emotional intelligence becomes a real business advantage inside a multi brand restaurant platform.
Kelly shares powerful insights on:
• How emotional intelligence shapes tough decisions that impact teams and franchisees
• The systems WOWorks uses to embed people centric leadership across multiple brands
• Balancing operational discipline with empathy, clarity, and care
• Why love and purpose still matter in a performance driven restaurant environment
🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski
🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa
The future of leadership belongs to those who can pair sharp strategy with genuine emotional intelligence.
CEO of WOWorks
Kelly Roddy is Chief Executive Officer of WOWorks, the parent company of six good-for-you restaurant brands Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos and Z!Eats.
Under his leadership, WOWorks has accelerated expansion across the U.S. and Canada and is on a mission to help guests live healthier lives through nutritious, flavorful meals and exceptional hospitality.
Kelly’s career in the restaurant industry is marked by transformative leadership. He served as president of Schlotzsky’s, repositioning the brand from a sandwich deli chain to a high-quality eatery and doubling average unit sales. In 2019, he took over Saladworks, guiding it through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2020, he became CEO of WOWorks, leading the growth of the company’s portfolio of better-for-you brands.
Kelly also has 21 years of additional executive management experience at HEB, Scholastic, and Walmart.
