“Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups”, by Vanessa Urch Druskat and Steven B. Wolff says that Emotional Intelligence ( EI) is the element the underlies the effectiveness of successful teams. Successful teams are happier and more productive. Less time is taken off work through stress, the bottom line is improved. This blog may of interest: Identifying and addressing the signs of stress in your remote working team EI has to come from EI that actually exists within the team, pretending to have this facet of humanity is not enough. Druskat and Wolff liken it to:
“..a piano student can be taught to play Minuet in G, but he won’t become a modern-day Bach without knowing music theory and being able to play with heart.”
EI therefore makes teams more effective.
Leadership programmes point towards this fact. We can take tests to show us how Emotionally Intelligent we are but rarely are we told how to become more EI & how to put it into practice. This link takes you to a free EI test! https://www.ihhp.com/free-eq-quiz/
How to put EI into practice
- Know yourself: Become more aware of your triggers and learn how to remain calm when dealing with challenging situations or people.
- Treat others as you wish to be treated, show empathy: Respect other people & be interested in their ‘stories’.
- Learn about your team. What strengths and undiscovered strengths do they possess?
- Recognise worth in others. To be seen at work is a great boost to morale.
- Challenge workplace culture in a positive way. Teams work better and are more productive when they are free to be creative. Is it right to work longer days? Are there other ways of being more inspired?
- Learn how to manage your own stress & share tips with others. High Functioning Anxiety…Is This You?
- Talk! Listen! Hear! Opposing views can produce great new ideas, if voiced in the right manner.
- Take a real interest in colleagues out of work life ( appropriately!). You do not need to be friends with all those you work with but understanding more about them helps to build solid working relationships.
Please contact me to see how I can help!
I make every effort to ensure that advice on this website is accurate and up to date. As the advice is general in nature rather than specific to individuals I cannot accept any liability for actions arising from its use nor can I be held responsible for the content of any pages referenced by an external link.
