If you want to do good work, you have to be able to motivate the people doing the work. The web is about people: they make it and they use it. Learning to work with the emotions that drive all people is key to a successful project.
In this chapter, we’ll discuss
■ What emotional intelligence is
■ How to merge emotions and the workplace in a new professionalism
■ Why emotional intelligence is important
■ What emotional intelligence looks like in action
■ Why caring is the bottom line
Emotions affect everything people do: every exchange, every conversation, every task—even in business. Think about it. The stock market rises and falls based on how investors feel about the market’s stability; the consumer confidence index fluctuates based on the way people feel about the economy. These metrics that we think of as business are driven by feelings—some rational and fact-based and some not. Sometimes hard numbers say one thing, but a pervasive mood can override logic. Because emotions drive actions, project managers have to figure out how to work with these emotions, not ignore them. It won’t do much good to focus on a person’s action without looking at the emotions that led him to do it. Emotions are not liabilities; they’re assets. They mean we get excited, remain dedicated and loyal, and have creative ideas. But to effectively leverage these assets, we have to understand and manage them.
It used to be that a lot of the things that make us human—like feelings and personalities—were left at the door when we came to work. Well, they weren’t actually left at the door, but they weren’t acknowledged. We—the collective we—were focused on “professionalism.” This meant not talking about our personal lives, not expressing our moods, and avoiding discussions about feelings or conflicts. (And many organizations still operate this way.) But here’s the truth: Personal issues do affect work. Acknowledging that and reacting with basic human understanding goes a long way in making the whole team more productive. That’s the new professionalism.
In this chapter, we’ll discuss
■ What emotional intelligence is
■ How to merge emotions and the workplace in a new professionalism
■ Why emotional intelligence is important
■ What emotional intelligence looks like in action
■ Why caring is the bottom line
Emotions affect everything people do: every exchange, every conversation, every task—even in business. Think about it. The stock market rises and falls based on how investors feel about the market’s stability; the consumer confidence index fluctuates based on the way people feel about the economy. These metrics that we think of as business are driven by feelings—some rational and fact-based and some not. Sometimes hard numbers say one thing, but a pervasive mood can override logic. Because emotions drive actions, project managers have to figure out how to work with these emotions, not ignore them. It won’t do much good to focus on a person’s action without looking at the emotions that led him to do it. Emotions are not liabilities; they’re assets. They mean we get excited, remain dedicated and loyal, and have creative ideas. But to effectively leverage these assets, we have to understand and manage them.
It used to be that a lot of the things that make us human—like feelings and personalities—were left at the door when we came to work. Well, they weren’t actually left at the door, but they weren’t acknowledged. We—the collective we—were focused on “professionalism.” This meant not talking about our personal lives, not expressing our moods, and avoiding discussions about feelings or conflicts. (And many organizations still operate this way.) But here’s the truth: Personal issues do affect work. Acknowledging that and reacting with basic human understanding goes a long way in making the whole team more productive. That’s the new professionalism.
Nice post.Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers – Nice to Have or Necessity? EI and the Project Manager. The Framework. Perceiving: What are you really saying? Managing: Controlling and Managing Emotions. Decision Making:More info visit :MBA Project Management
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