How EQ can help a Project Manager
Unless a person is in the entertainment field, the role of emotions at work may seem trivial, if not counterproductive. Why should empathy matter in sales, self-motivation in IT, or emotional reflection in management? Because emotions are part of our humanity, and we have to deal with our own and other people’s emotions on a daily basis.
• Detect and manage their own emotions, and handle the pressure of being the leader of a project.
• Be able to consult their gut feeling to detect possible issues, and evaluate alternative solutions.
• Read the body language of their team members when assigning tasks and getting project updates, in order to pick up on stress, frustration, or unexpressed concerns.
• Effectively navigate team dynamics, conflicting priorities, and the different goals, needs, and constraints at play.
• Resolve disagreements and come up with compromises and trade-offs, which requires diplomacy, empathy, and compassion.
Unless a person is in the entertainment field, the role of emotions at work may seem trivial, if not counterproductive. Why should empathy matter in sales, self-motivation in IT, or emotional reflection in management? Because emotions are part of our humanity, and we have to deal with our own and other people’s emotions on a daily basis.
Aside from being able to shuffle between the different aspects of a project, Project Managers must also juggle the different social and emotional elements that working on a team entails. PMs must have high EQ in order to:
• Be able to consult their gut feeling to detect possible issues, and evaluate alternative solutions.
• Read the body language of their team members when assigning tasks and getting project updates, in order to pick up on stress, frustration, or unexpressed concerns.
• Effectively navigate team dynamics, conflicting priorities, and the different goals, needs, and constraints at play.
• Resolve disagreements and come up with compromises and trade-offs, which requires diplomacy, empathy, and compassion.