You have an important project to deliver and have built what you consider to be an excellent team. The members of the team are all experts in their field. You are confident that the project will be delivered on time and within budget, yet work begins to fall behind schedule. You find yourself needing to approve unbudgeted costs and before you know it you have failed to achieve the goals of the project.
So what went wrong? Who is to blame for the failure of the project? Possibly nobody is to blame. It is highly likely that you built your team on the basis of their technical ability. Though technical ability is certainly important it is possible that you failed to consider the emotional intelligence of the team members.
Emotional intelligence has been found to be critical in building teams. Once you understand emotional intelligence you have a powerful tool for building teams that gets great results.
>What is emotional intelligence?Emotional intelligence was first described by Daniel Goleman in 1995, in his book ‘Emotional Intelligence’. Goleman conducted extensive research into leadership and found that great leaders shared one important characteristic - they have a high degree of emotional intelligence. Studies undertaken since Goleman’s research support his view that a person can have excellent technical skills and an abundance of fresh ideas, but he will never make an effective leader until he grasps the essentials of emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence consists of five key ‘soft’ skills. These are:
- self-awareness
- self-regulation
- motivation
- empathy
- social skill
These skills are difficult to measure and it is easy to dismiss them for this reason. However consider the leaders in your organisation. Their technical ability is probably negligible. What differentiates these people is their understanding of the five qualities of emotional intelligence. However emotional intelligence is not just a factor of consideration for leaders. All members of a team need to understand how their emotional intelligence influences them and their colleagues.
Self-awarenessAn effective leader is as aware of his own behaviour as he is of that of his team. An employee who is self-aware understands his own moods and understands how this impacts on the behaviour of others. The strength of an employee who is self-aware is that he is realistic. He doesn’t place unrealistic burdens on himself or others. Such a person will know when he is struggling himself and is likely to call for help when it is required. This can sometimes be viewed incorrectly as a sign of weakness. However, calling for help when it is required is a positive characteristic of a person who is self-aware. You don’t want your staff to be falling behind schedule because they are afraid of admitting they are struggling. Staff who are self-aware lessen the chances of your project running off the rails. The risks of overburdening the team are also lessened.
Self-regulation Self-regulation involves controlling your own emotions. We all know of a person who has excellent technical ability but simply cannot control his anger. He is respected for his ability but disregarded as a leader or team player. People don't like to work with a person who is likely to explode with rage or frustration at any point. As a member of a team, it is easy to feel vulnerable in such a situation. A leader who regulates his emotions can avoid situations where he hastily reacts when something goes wrong. He is more likely to take a step back and consider the factors that were involved in the failure before taking any action. The action that he takes will also be considered and measured.
Excellent examples of self-regulation can be found in the Police and the Armed Forces. These people deal with emotionally stressful situations on a regular basis and self-regulation is a critical component of their training. They would be totally ineffective without it.
Emotions are bound to surface during a project. We are not robots and cannot be expected to act as such, but controlling these emotions is crucial.
David Hirsch, General Manager of IT, Australian Business Limited finds his role, which involves leading or mentoring teams of varying experience and personalities, can be stressful. Hirsch says, ‘Putting emotions aside to get on with the job can be problematic if the team leader displays a range of negative emotions like anger or frustration. Doubtless the team members have not created the situation, whatever it may be, by their own choice’.
Hirsch’s point is well made. Errors are rarely made deliberately and it is important to remember this if you are tempted to vent your frustrations.
MotivationAn effective leader must be motivated to achieve. However motivation is not just an important characteristic of effective leaders – it is crucial for all members of a team. If the entire team is motivated they will be committed to the project, and they will be committed because they believe in the project and genuinely want the project to succeed. Motivated people are likely to stretch themselves to search for the best outcomes and will not accept anything less than the best from themselves.
Conversely, a person who is lacking in motivation can do irreparable harm to a team. Such a person can be like a weed, spreading their dissatisfaction throughout the team. You may have new members of the team, who are keen to learn and excited about the prospects of the project. These people are motivated, but their motivation may slip when they come into contact with a team member who is not as eager as his colleagues. It is also reasonable to expect that an unmotivated person is less likely to expend the same level of effort as a more motivated colleague, because the project does not mean as much to them.
Empathy Empathy is a difficult concept in the context of the workplace. It is commonly linked to compassion, and is most often linked to times of trouble. Mourners at funerals are said to demonstrate empathy. It is a quality that is highly valued among friends but is rarely discussed in terms of workplace relationships. However empathy can be the glue that binds a team when deadlines start to close.
Empathy involves placing yourself in a position where you understand how others are feeling, so you can have the best interests of the team at heart when making decisions. For example, deadlines may be approaching and you may need to ask your team to work some extra hours to meet the deadlines. You could simply tell your team they must work the extra hours. They will probably work the extra hours and you will probably meet your deadlines. However your team is unlikely to approach the task with enthusiasm and the quality of their work is unlikely to be of the quality it could have been.
A better approach?- Advise your team that extra hours will need to be worked if your deadlines are to be met.
- Explain the situation to them and welcome questions.
- Let your team know unequivocally that their efforts are appreciated.
Your teammates will see that you understand that they are putting their own lives on hold for the sake of the project and will appreciate that you have been frank with them. They will be more likely to work the extra hours enabling you to meet your deadlines - and your colleagues will be more likely to approach the task with a positive attitude and the results should reflect this.
It is impossible to be ‘friends’ with everybody in your team and it can be undesirable to have this sort of relationship with everybody. But if you show empathy for your team, they will be more inclined to make their best efforts for you.
Empathy has another benefit. The days of people working for the same company for fifty years are almost gone. Skills are in high demand in all industries and if you can show your employees that you have something that other employers or managers don't offer, you have a great advantage when it comes to retaining talent. Everybody has had an unsympathetic boss at some point in their career. Empathetic leaders stand out.
Social skillSocial skills are not easily learned by some people, but it is essential for leaders of a team to have these skills. Team leaders must get work done by getting other people to get work done. This may seem a simplification of the responsibility of a team leader but it in no way denigrates it. The team leader has a critical role in any project and if he displays strong social skills he will be well positioned to delegate tasks effectively and keep the project alive.
A team leader who merely issues directions by email behind his closed door would hardly be seen as an effective leader. An effective leader:
- talks to his team and always has an open door
- welcomes feedback from his teammates
- keeps his team abreast of all developments
Since this leader communicates, he is not likely to receive any nasty surprises as deadlines approach. He is well equipped to handle any situation and his team is happy that they are kept informed at all stages of the project.
Leaders with strong social skills are also adept at bringing out the best in others who may not share these skills. You may bring together a team of employees who work in different units and don't often work together. If you work for a large company it is likely that these workers may have never met. Some of them may have a ‘silo’ mentality. This could be a challenge for you, as they must work as a team to meet the aims of the project. Beers at the pub are not going to help you bring this team together.
In order to build teams that work well and grow, individually and together, you need to:
- encourage open communication between all members of the team
- demonstrate that frankness is a quality that is welcomed in the team.
- lead by example
- keep your colleagues involved
- encourage your team to share their experiences and gain an appreciation of each other’s talents
An important benefit of an established team is that it can be used on other projects. As your emotional intelligence and that of your team increases, you will see your team deliver outstanding results time and time again.
How to recognise emotional intelligence This table will help you recognise emotional intelligence in your workplace by demonstrating the traits of each component.
| Component | Traits |
|---|
| Self-Awareness | Self-confidence, realism about one’s own abilities, self-deprecating. |
| Self-Regulation | Integrity, ability to accept unclear communications, open to change. |
| Motivation | Drive to achieve, optimism, organisational commitment. |
| Empathy | Talent retention skill, cross-cultural sensitivity, consideration of the client or customer. |
| Social Skill | Leads change, persuasive, builds teams. |
Sources:
Emotional Competence Inventory 360 (Hay Group) – www.haygroup.com
EQ Map Questionnaire (Q-Metrics) – www.qmetricseq.com
BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (Multi-Health Systems) – http://eqi.mhs.com
Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations www.eiconsortium.org
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, Bloomsbury Publishing 1995.
Studies in Emotional Intelligence Redefine Our Approach to Leadership Development, Katie Dearborn, Public Personnel Management, Volume 31, Winter 2002.
Emotional Intelligence: Some Have It, Others Can Learn, John E. Smigla and Gail Pastoria, The CPA Journal, June 2000.
Do You Know What Your Emotional IQ Is?, James Bourey and Athena Miller, Public Management, October 2001.
Your EQ Skills: Got What It Takes?, Michael D. Akers and Grover L. Porter, Journal of Accountancy, March 2003.
The Plight of EQ-less Inc., Agnes King, MIS, June 2004.