What do you do if your team managers struggle to develop their emotional intelligence?

The fact that even people in team manager positions in technical (e.g. Production, Aftersales, IT) and financial functions (e.g. Finance, Accounting) underestimates the importance of developing their soft skills by using emotional intelligence is not a rare situation compared to the commercial (Sales & Marketing) and social functions like HR. However, my personal experience showed me that, leaders in technical functions who attach due importance to soft skills and EQ are also instrumental in providing the necessary motivational atmosphere in their primary work environment for their teams to be able to deliver significantly more successful business results in longterm than their colleagues with similar technical abilities and experience.

I believe that developing Emotional Intelligence requires having self awareness about ones behaviors and emotional states under certain triggering situations. Sometimes courses are not enough, especially because they are usually not tailored to the participants′experience or needs and there′s no follow up nor feedback. The best way to develop these skills is by working with a mentor or an executive coach that challenges you, gives you open feedback, teaches you how to manage your emotions, help you identify and change some negative behavioral patterns. I′ve had multiple coaches and definitely it′s the best tool for personal and professional development.

Albino, I agree with your endorsement for professional coaching. Asking your developing leaders to recall past situations where they encountered challenges in reacting to events. Then let them explain how they handled it. The opportunity for growth is asking them to explain how they would handle it differently now.

Focusing on software engineering managers - this is very common, as most come from a highly technical background, where emotional intelligence is not the most natural skill. This is where you come in as the more tenured engineering leader; somebody, who has been in the position of your managers not that long ago, and can see the path they still have to walk. You should take the time by diving deep into a couple of examples in their teams, where EQ can play a big part in their teams' success. For example, two engineers are not getting along in their group, and the manager has to point their antennas to the root causes - you can give a few pointers on how you'd handle such a situation and compare notes.

I believe that every leader encounters a phase where they need to support their team managers in enhancing their emotional intelligence. In the present-day context, with constantly evolving dynamics, it's more challenging than it sounds to cultivate emotional intelligence, as it's a quality that requires time to mature. From my own experience, I've found that setting an example is paramount in aiding the team's development. It begins with empathizing with their concerns and providing guidance, but ultimately, leading by example and demonstrating how one would react in various situations is crucial. This aspect of organizational culture is typically instilled from the uppermost levels of leadership.

When the team leaders lack emotional intelligence : 1. Give them the awareness,most of the time managers believe they are doing right as their ultimate goal was to deliver tasks where they lack in people skills. 2. Make them feel the importance of emotional intelligence when leading team. 3. Give them training or coaching on EQ or sent them to training which ur company offers 4. Appreciate if they change or demonstrate..