Project EQ

So, What’s Your EQ?

--- By Matt Kayhoe of Strategies in Play LLC

When asked about project management competencies, most of us would list off items such as scoping, budget management, monitoring, negotiating, etc. Many of us would draw from traditional models and educational programs as we made our list.

There is another layer of competencies, ones which underlie all that we do when managing projects – our emotional competencies. Together, these comprise our emotional intelligence, and they act as levers and regulators on the use of our more traditional competencies.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is critical to any type of leadership; thousands of studies have tied it directly to leadership effectiveness. It is highly deserving of our attention in the project management realm.

We experience the effective use of EI everyday, and know it at a gut level:

	“She’ll make sure she understands your requirements before acting.”
	“He can handle the pressure, don’t worry.”

And we experience the ineffective…

	“That guy will go off the deep end over the slightest thing.”
	“She couldn’t care less about anyone else’s needs.”

EI has been made popular in books and on talk shows, but how do we make it practical? And how do we apply it concretely to project management?

First, understand EI as a comprehensive set of competencies. For this, we draw on the BarOn model, known as EQ-I, created by Reuven Bar-On, Ph.D.

Intrapersonal Competencies

	Self-Regard: To accurately perceive, understand and accept oneself
	Emotional Self Awareness: To be aware of and understand one’s emotions
	Assertiveness: To constructively express one’s emotions and oneself
	Independence: To be self-reliant & free of emotional dependency on others
	Self-Actualization: To strive to achieve personal goals and actualize one’s potential

Interpersonal Competencies

	Empathy: To be aware of and understand how others feel
	Social Responsibility: To identify with one’s social group and cooperate with others
	Interpersonal Relationship: To establish mutually satisfying relationships and relate well with others

Stress Management Competencies

	Stress Tolerance: To effectively and constructively manage emotions
	Impulse Control: To effectively and constructively control emotions

Adaptability Competencies

	Reality Testing: To objectively validate one’s feelings and thinking with external reality
	Flexibility: To adapt and adjust one’s feelings and thinking to new situations
	Problem Solving: To effectively solve problems of a personal and interpersonal nature

General Mood Competencies

	Optimism: To be positive and look at the brighter side of life
	Happiness: To feel content with oneself, others, and life in general

Next, we identify those competencies most important to project management. Every one of the fifteen is useful in project management, and if too strong or weak, will disable a project leader. Yet some are more important than others when applied to project management:

	Assertiveness – to drive the agenda of the project
	Social responsibility – to keep a perspective on the project’s priority to the business
	Stress tolerance – so that the emotions related to the project support its success
	Impulse control – to keep momentary problems from derailing the project
	Reality testing – to make sure the data driving the project is complete and valid
	Optimism – most projects are, to some extent, self-fulfilling prophecies

So, what’s your EQ? Your team’s? For more information please contact Matt Kayhoe at Strategies in Play. His direct line is (603) 682-3757.

And remember – you don’t have to be deficient to improve!

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