Revisiting the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Project Management

Let's understand what emotional intelligence means to us...

We are emotionally intelligent when we are aware, controlling, and expressing our emotions. People with high levels of emotional intelligence understand their emotions, what they mean, and how they affect others. In addition, it refers to being able to handle interpersonal relations empathically. To achieve this, you must be adept at understanding other people's emotions, reactions, and motivations.

It is important for leaders to have a high emotional quotient (the extent to which they are able to understand the emotions of others) alongside traditional leadership skills.

What it means to Project Management...

" The most important aspect of emotional intelligence is creating a positive team environment - this is crucial to a project's success." Most project managers spend between 8-12% of their time on people-focused activities, according to Patrick Mayfield's research into people and change. It is estimated that 60-80% of the time the top 10% of project managers spend on these activities. A project's success is therefore dependent on emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence helps project managers understand their team and its environment

Project managers must possess emotional intelligence in order to understand the environment in which they work and the people with whom they interact. Often, projects are delivered by temporary, cross-functional teams of professionals located throughout the country. Depending on the project, they may have never worked together before.

In the rapidly evolving business environment, project managers are often required to work with colleagues from different departments as well as with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. It is possible that these colleagues are experts in their fields, but may not be project managers by trade, and they may also have other commitments in addition to the project.

Therefore, project managers should be aware of both their own emotions and those of their team members. They will need to understand their different motivations, what causes them stress, how they work, and how they digest information. A key component of this is the development of emotional intelligence, as well as the ability to understand how the project team will deal with failure and success, issues, and risks. This will ensure an effective working relationship between the members of the project team to achieve the project's objectives.

There is generally some kind of change that is delivered through projects, and that change has a significant impact on specific groups. The organization's workforce could be one of these.

Engaging stakeholders requires an understanding of emotional intelligence. In important meetings, project managers need to be able to read the room. It is imperative that they establish a rapport and gain the support of challenging groups. They will need to understand how project communications and activities will be received by various stakeholders.

According to the Project Management Institute, one out of five projects fail as a result of ineffective communication. However, emotional intelligence allows project managers to understand their audiences and what is important to them. As a result, it is directly related to the success or failure of a project, particularly those involving challenging change initiatives associated with legacy operations and teams that are not supportive of change.

The following are 05 ways in which you can become an emotionally intelligent project manager:

By using Goleman’s framework, there are a number of ways in which project managers can improve their emotional intelligence, regardless of the type of project they are working on.

1. Self-awareness: The ability to recognize and understand your own emotions and moods.
2. Self-regulation: The ability to control your emotions and reactions.
3. Motivation: The ability to be driven and stay focused on your goals.
4. Empathy: The ability to understand and share the emotions of others.
5. Social skills: The ability to build relationships, communicate effectively, and resolve conflicts.

To conclude, it is important for project managers to possess emotional intelligence in order to be successful. It is possible to build better relationships, manage stress more effectively, make better decisions, and build a better business by understanding and utilizing emotional intelligence. In turn, this will lead to more successful projects in the future.