Trust, Transparency, and Culture: The Cornerstones of Leadership with Susan Riley
The Enlightened Family Business Podcast
Release Date: 02/10/2025
The Enlightened Family Business Podcast
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with Susan Riley
Susan Riley is a resident of Exeter, NH and is married with two children. She started her career with a technical foundation (undergraduate and graduate education in Chemistry (Boston College, Brandeis University), followed later by an MBA at Babson College. She then spent the majority of her 40-year career in the life sciences industry. Having started in research and development, Susan gradually expanded her skillset and experience by spending significant time in international business development, marketing & sales, production & operations. In the last decade of her career, she was appointed Vice President & General Manager for two mid to large size divisions of Fortune 100 companies having revenues of $750M+. Susan was known as a straight shooter that built strong teams and executed well. She set high expectations yet was very nurturing to her employees. She always rolled up her sleeves and never asked anyone to do something she would not do herself. Susan recently retired and now resides in Exeter, NH. She views her most significant accomplishment as being able to have coupled a wonderfully fulfilling career with a fabulous family life. She credits her husband of 40+ years as her secret sauce in being able to come as close to “having it all” as is possible and looks forward to enjoying her retirement with him and her two grown daughters
What You’ll Learn
● What it takes to uplevel an organization.
● How to secure trust by being authentic.
● The importance of the value proposition.
● How to navigate male-dominated spaces.
● Why we should make space for life experiences.
Timestamps
· [04:17] Susan’s background.
· [09:30] Upleveling an organization.
· [13:30] Prioritizing key areas.
· [18:36] How to secure trust by being authentic.
· [24:39] The value proposition.
· [30:09] Creating a culture for success.
· [33:45] Navigating the male-dominated spaces.
· [39:34] Blocking off time to prioritize life experiences.
Memorable Quotes
· “People can sniff you out if you’re not [authentic].” – Susan Riley [20:05]
· “You’ve got to learn from your mistakes.” – Susan Riley [27:25]
· “You really have to start thinking about what’s important to your life.” – Susan Riley [44:54]
Websites