A coffee with Susan Rodgers, Jayva’s Director of Global Professional Services

It’s been a while since our last ‘coffee with’ blog, so we’re placing Susan Rodgers centre stage to find out what interests and motivates her inside and outside of the work setting. Whether you’re keen to learn Susan’s ethos in the workplace, uncover her hobbies and pastimes, or unearth her feelings about her employer, Jayva, we lay it bare in today’s blog…

What’s your business/professional motto?

As a leader, don’t try to do everything yourself. Instead, you should get to know your people and play to their strengths. Just because you’re running a team, it doesn’t mean you have to know the solution to every problem. You simply need to recognise where to turn for the answers.

For example, accounting is a personal weakness of mine. I wouldn’t answer an accounts-related query but I know exactly who in my team is best suited to do so. This isn’t passing the buck. It’s allowing your employees to shine and giving clients the best possible experience with your business.

How do you make contacts which are useful for business?

While industry events are less frequent in the post-Covid era, I do still attend trade shows and regional networking sessions, such as the annual LegalEx exhibition in London and Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce meet ups. These in-person gatherings are rich sources of connections.

Face-to-face events aside, I find that LinkedIn is key to making new contacts and keeping existing connections active. It’s certainly easier to make contacts initially but it’s harder to maintain these connections going forwards. To foster long-term professional relationships and partnerships that stand the test of time, I share and post useful information on LinkedIn. I believe that if people don’t see your name, they’ll forget you. I touch base with clients and prospects regularly outside of LinkedIn too, on email and Facebook primarily, but LinkedIn is a great place to start and focus your efforts.

Which individual has inspired you the most in your business life and in what way?

Our CEO Nicola Moore-Miller is an inspiration leader for so many reasons. To name a few here, she’s very switched on and has a quick mind, enabling her to grasp concepts and solve queries with ease. More importantly, even, she’s supportive and empathetic – qualities which make Jayva a brilliant company to work for as it’s got Nicola sitting at the helm. As a woman and a feminist, it’s great to see a business being so successful thanks to strong female leadership.

I’m a huge fan of Steven Bartlett and Sara Davies from Dragons’ Den. They’re also leaders who give their employees an opportunity to grow rather than trying to place people into labelled and restrictive boxes.

I’ll be honest, in previous roles, I’ve been terrified of my bosses. This domineering and oppressive style of leadership isn’t acceptable anymore, particularly to younger generations who have different expectations from their employers.

Digressing slightly, I recently went to hear RuPaul speaking at the theatre. He’s gone through trials and tribulations in his life. Having now come out the other side, he wants to share his experiences with others to reassure anyone suffering similar issues they can be endured. It restores my faith in human nature that there are nice people out there who aren’t just in it for themselves.

What’s your proudest achievement in business?

I’ve been extremely lucky and made some good choices throughout my career. Even setbacks, such as being made redundant from an insurance role I’d held for years, have turned out to work in my favour. If I hadn’t lost the insurance job, I’d never have ended up working in law, and been introduced to Nicola or Viona.

I’ve met the right people at the right time in the right jobs. Everything that’s happened thus far has brought me to Jayva, in a role I love doing, at a level I never could have anticipated even in my wildest dreams, working alongside genuinely lovely people who I’m happy to call my friends too.

I’ve never had a gameplan. My career has evolved organically and naturally. Coming from a working-class background, I didn’t think I’d end up as the Director of Global Professional Services who temporarily acted as Chief Operating Officer during Jayva’s restructure. My late dad would have been so proud of me.

What do you think makes Jayva different?

The people at Jayva make it different to other companies. In the past, I’ve worked at places where the people and politics are awful. Everyone at Jayva is encouraged to speak openly, suggest new ideas without judgement and discover solutions collaboratively. We’re solution focused rather than problem obsessed. Employees have the freedom to think, develop and grow. We’re not nine-to-five types, by which I mean we don’t just get the job done, we strive to do it to the best of our ability. Our one commonality is we’re a bunch of self-motivated individuals who are committed to making Jayva an even better place to work.

What’s Jayva’s greatest asset?

As explained above, it’s all about the people. We’re a people-oriented organisation with employees’ wellbeing at our core, built upon strong relationships and connections which, in turn, transform performance for the benefit of our clients. It’s teamwork to the highest degree.

How does Jayva benefit from the unique skillset you bring to the business?

I’d call myself a people person. I’m particularly good at connecting and creating a bridge between Jayva and our clients’ firms. Generally speaking, solicitors are risk averse and have a tendency to worry about big change management projects such as switching software. In these scenarios, I can be a calming influence and talk people down.

There’s a quote by the singer Bill Kaulitz which I adhere to: ‘Always remember, believe in today, believe in tomorrow, believe in yourself, and whatever happens, don’t jump’.

Give one tip for a successful business.

In the business world, there are sometimes steps that are scary. Absolutely terrifying, in certain instances. But, it’s important to not be afraid and take a leap of faith as you never know where it will lead you. Another famous quote is ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’, which is actually the title of a well-known business psychology book by Susan Jeffers. Being unafraid to take risks is how successful businesses are made.

Do you dress up or down for business?

Full disclosure here, I occasionally wear my pyjama bottoms while attending online meetings with colleagues. When I’m delivering training courses over Zoom or Teams to clients, I wear smart casual clothes like shirts and jumpers. If visiting client sites, it’s more business casual clothes which sees my dresses and high heels make an appearance.

Perceptions on professional attire changed significantly during Covid. Even when people are working in the office nowadays, jeans are fully acceptable. It’s all about wearing what’s comfortable as it enables optimum performance.

So, for me, it’s casual all the way, even when going out on the town.

If you hadn’t gone down your chosen career path, what would you be doing instead?

If I was to live my life all over again, I like to think I’d go into the arts. I’m fascinated with history and archaeology. I regularly volunteer at the Manchester International Festival, Manchester Literature Festival, the HOME arts and theatre complex, and Factory International. Because my day job can be stressful, I love that my volunteer work is far from. My role tends to be chief pointer, directing visitors to wherever they need to go. The plus side of volunteering is I get to see shows, and meet artists and authors for free.

What item(s) do you always have with you?

I find it hard to manage without my phone. It’s an older phone and needs charged lots, so I always have my phone charger with me. I’d have to say my purse comes with me everywhere too, as does my Kindle so I don’t miss any impromptu reading opportunities.

At what time of day are you most creative or inspired?

First thing in the morning when I wake up, I’m at my most creative and inspired. At Jayva, we hold a morning ‘huddle’ each day at 9.15am. It’s a chance to divulge our plans for the day and problem solve together. It sets my day off on the right track.

At around 4pm, I have a dip but I can pick myself up again in readiness for a work commitment or night out with friends.

When do you take your coffee break – morning, afternoon, evening? And where do you take it?

At home, I drink Pepsi Max on tap. I only tend to drink coffee when I’m out and about. Ultimately, it’s a convenience thing. It’s far quicker to grab a soft drink than it is to interrupt what I’m doing in order to make a hot drink.

Espresso, americano, latte, cappuccino, macchiato, flat white, frappe – what’s your coffee of choice?

My coffee has to be black americano without sugar. When I was working in America, I started drinking iced coffee. Again, these had to be black iced coffees. I’m still partial to one of those to this day.

Who would you most like to have a coffee with?

My dad sadly passed away when he was in his early 50s. I’d love nothing more than to sit down with him now and talk to him. He was a huge influence, introducing me to books, comedy and other interests which I still maintain. Whenever I watch Monty Python, I think of my dad. I’d love to show him the plethora of TV channels we have at our disposal and demonstrate what mobile phones can do. He’d be shocked and entertained.

How do you relax outside of work?

When I’m not working, you’ve probably gathered by now that theatre trips and reading feature heavily in my social calendar. Another passion is meeting friends for dinner and cocktails, and trying out new places to eat and drink.

I recently introduced Nicola to the Blinker cocktail bar. It’s now her local when she’s attending meetings in our Manchester office. As always, I’m glad to be of service.

What’s the most inspirational book you’ve ever read?

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is a book which I first read in school and have read on repeat ever since. Something about it strikes a chord with me. Its subject matter of racial, class and gender inequality are still as relevant today as when it was published in 1960. As well as dealing with heavy subjects, it’s full of courage and compassion – eternal and universal themes.

Harper Lee published a follow-up novel titled ‘Go Set a Watchman’ in 2015. You’d imagine I’d want to read it but I actually can’t bring myself to. The first book is too sacred.

Harper Lee’s life is fascinating too and carries semblances to my own in that she was a ferocious reader – a woman after my own heart.

What’s your favourite film?

‘The Princess Bride’ from 1987 crosses many genres – fantasy, adventure, comedy, everything rolled into one. It’s packed full of giants, sword fights, kisses, the works. What’s not to love? I’m trying to get my great niece to watch it but, as she’s only four years old, she’s too young just yet. Another of my favourite films is ‘The Goonies’ from 1985, which also ticks the adventure and comedy boxes. I literally know every word of the film script.

Further reading

We’ve directed these same questions at other staff members too. Why not access our earlier ‘coffee with’ blogs which have Will Penrice, Joe Sclafani, Chris Nelson, Viona Retkowska and Rosa Pelaez-Venuela in the hot seat?