Emotional Intelligence: Why It’s Essential to Your Success as a Project Manager
When you think of a “perfect project manager,” what comes to mind? Do you picture someone who is good at defining scope, having planning and organizational skills and the ability to track cost and metrics? A project manager must possess technical expertise, but need more than the requisite knowledge to create positive results.
The more challenging and complex the project, the more important your interpersonal skills become to achieving a successful outcome. Without the necessary people skills to lead effectively, even the most carefully organized project can quickly fall apart.
An expert on social skills once said that it would be easy to deliver projects, were it not for the people. This statement stresses the importance of people management in delivering a successful project. Emotional Intelligence is an ability that every project manager should possess, given that most of his or her time will be spent managing people and communications.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
The word “Emotional Intelligence” was coined by Peter Salovey and John Mayer. They defined EI as “the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and use this information to guide one’s thinking and action.” Daniel Goleman expanded this concept with an Emotional Intelligence competencies and skills model for better leadership performance.
People with high Emotional Intelligence have the ability to develop trust, cultivate relationships, provide leadership, build effective teams, negotiate with others, manage change, and deliver results.
As identified by Goleman, there are five Emotional Intelligence principles that project managers need to have to be good leaders. This article will take you through the principles, clearly outlining how project managers can possess them and ultimately drive a successful project management initiative.
The higher your emotional intelligence, the better you will manage each of these areas. So, let’s look at each trait in more detail and examine how you can grow as a project manager and a leader.
1. Self-awareness
Self-awareness involves knowing how you feel, understanding your emotions, and how your actions affect those around you. It involves being self-conscious, understanding how your behavior and attitude influences how you make decisions and relate to others.
When you are self-aware, it means that you understand your strengths as well as weaknesses; it means you clearly know your capabilities and limits as an individual. You know how far you can push an issue, when to yield, and when to ask for help. You clearly understand that you do not operate on an island, how you conduct yourself directly affects the people who are around you.
Project management is associated with tight deadlines, budgets, and a rigid scope; this is an environment that can thrive on competition, frustration, and intense emotions. When a project manager experiences are such, he or she should slow down, examine why things are the way they are. Listen to emotions, and understand what they are saying. Increased self-awareness will ultimately help in making decisions that will benefit the team and the whole project at large.
Features of self-awareness include a realistic self-assessment, self-confidence, a sense of humor, and humility. One of the best things about self-awareness is that it can be cultivated and learned, one can continuously heighten self-awareness, becoming a better leader and ultimately deliver successful projects.
2. Self-regulation
Project managers who are good at self-regulation have the ability to control their emotions and to think before they act or do something they will later regret. They don’t rush or make emotional decisions. Moreover, they can redirect disruptive moods and impulses into more productive channels. They are ethical people, who do not compromise values for short term gains.
There will be challenging moments as you manage a project, so you have to learn how to stay calm. Be aware of how you react in a tense environment and how it affects other people. Goleman states that the self-regulation element of emotional intelligence involves flexibility, commitment, and accountability. Hallmarks include integrity and trustworthiness; comfort with uncertainty; and openness to change.
Self-regulation starts with knowing one’s values, having a clear idea of what should or should not be done at any particular moment. Taking responsibility and accountability also counts when it comes to self-regulation. Learn to admit when you’re wrong and appreciate the efforts others have put in. The capability to self-regulate helps the project manager relate well with other members of the team and build a culture of positivity and excellence.
While not all may possess this ability, the beauty of it is that it can be learned and applied in a positive project environment, ultimately leading to smooth project management processes and successes.
3. Self-motivation
Self-motivated project managers work for reasons that go beyond external rewards such as fame and fortune. Instead, they are internally motivated by the satisfaction they get from solving a difficult problem, doing a good job, or for making a difference in people’s lives. Hallmarks of self-motivation include a strong drive to achieve, optimism in the face of adversity, and organizational commitment.
Self-motivation leads to the fulfillment of goals and objectives and also leads to delivering as per the customer requirements. It also involves optimism, regardless of the situation. There are times when things will not go as planned but as a project manager, you have an obligation to steer the project in the right direction. Adopting a resilient mindset will help you navigate through murky waters and emerge successfully.
4. Empathy
Empathy helps you to see things from other people’s perspective.
Tweet ThisTheodore Roosevelt, once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
5. Social skills
Project managers with excellent social skills are great at inspiring a shared vision for the organization mission and projects. They are skilled at networking, creating, and maintaining strong relationships with others. They are friendly, approachable, and easy to talk with. They like people and people like them. They provide leadership, build effective teams, negotiate with others, manage change, and deliver exceptional results.
Project managers who score high in the social skills element of Emotional Intelligence are great communicators. They practice the 80-20 rule of effective communication in which they listen 80% of the time and speak with conviction and clarity 20 % of the time.
A project leader must start by getting to know his or her team members; building trust while understanding others values, principles, and cultures. This can be helpful especially when it comes to managing change or resolving conflicts which may arise in a project.
The hallmarks of social skills include expertise building and leading teams, along with effectiveness in leading change. You may not be perfect with all of this, but with commitment and continued learning, you can increase your capacity to lead at the highest levels, resulting in more successful project delivery.
Bringing It All Together
Project Managers work in complex environments, and it’s not sufficient to bring only technical skills to that role to be successful. Project management is more than defining the scope, creating plans, generating useful metrics for tracking time and costs. Although these functions are essential for successful project management, failure to manage people will result in project failure.
Projects are about individuals who work as a team to deliver specific objectives and outcomes. Project management is about collaboration, negotiations, and team building where people from diverse backgrounds work together in a multifaceted environment driven by common goals.
So let me ask you, is Emotional Intelligence a good skill set to have, or is it an essential skill set required for creating extraordinary results? Only you can decide, but I think it depends on just how successful you want to be! Take the time to work on these Emotional Intelligence skills and watch your success soar in business and life!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Tim Crowley Motivational Keynote Speaker, Leadership and Resilience Expert
Dr. Tim Crowley’s passion is to help build strong teams to strengthen organizations and to produce breakthrough results. For more than 25 years his services have touched the lives of leaders in some of the most recognizable companies in the world. Including AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Ernst & Young, Hallmark, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Marriot, Microsoft, Nestle-Purina, along with numerous organizations, universities, state and federal agencies.
When not keynoting, leading workshops, and blogging he looks for inspiration through cycling, mountain biking, volunteering, and spending time with his family and friends. You can learn more about Tim and how his services can help you and your team at drtimcrowley.com
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