Do you know someone who is technically
brilliant but not an effective collaborator or leader? Someone who really knows his stuff, but likes
to talk much more than listen to anyone else’s point of view? Someone who has all the answers and doesn't
appreciate it when others challenge his ideas or suggest another option? Chances are you do. And chances are you choose not to work with these
people if you don’t have to.
As technical professionals, we are trained to
solve problems, challenge the status quo, and have the right answer. This works very well when we are working
independently on scientific and technical problems. It does not work as well when we are working
as entrepreneurs in search of a viable business model for an idea or IP. We have to collaborate across disciplines, learn
fast, pivot as needed, and iteratively refine not only the “product” but also
the overall business model and value delivery system. Leaders of new ventures are faced with a
world of strategic, operational and organizational dilemmas often characterized
by competing priorities, perspectives and demands across multiple
stakeholders. Often there is no single
“right” answer.
The inherent complexity, uncertainty, and
ambiguity of this “fuzzy front end of innovation” demands persistence, passion, openness and
resilience. In this context no one
person can have all the answers or do all the work. A growing body of research shows that in jobs
of moderate to high complexity IQ is necessary but not sufficient for
success. In these roles, the key
differentiator of top performers becomes emotional intelligence or EQ—the
ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others in order to
more effectively manage your behavior and relationships. In fact, research shows that 58% of star performance is accounted for by EQ versus IQ.
Why is EQ so important? As
much as we hate to admit it, our emotions
trump logic when they run high. Advances
in neuroscience demonstrate that this is not “psychological weakness” but
rather how our brains are hardwired.
When we FEEL angry, upset, frustrated, unappreciated, etc. we can’t
THINK clearly. And these negative emotions are highly contagious and
distracting, reducing the productivity of others around us as they try to avoid
us, guess what we really want, or in extreme cases, work to sabotage rather
than support our efforts. Conversely,
when we FEEL excited, valued and challenged to do great work, we become
emotionally engaged and contribute up to 26% more discretionary effort! This is the holy grail of high
performance—especially for innovation leaders and entrepreneurs who typically
have very limited resources and run the risk of burning out and/or burning
bridges.
Fortunately, EQ can be developed if we are
willing to practice new habits, and it can help us shine as leaders and deliver
better results. Here are a few simple steps each of us can take to enhance our
EQ and become more effective, engaging leaders.
1. Practice the platinum rule. As children many of us learned the “golden rule”—treat others as we
would like to be treated. While this
makes sense when working with others like us, we now live and work in a diverse
world characterized by differences in background on many levels--disciplines,
cultures, ages, genders, ethnicity, etc.
In order to fully engage a diverse set of team members, the “platinum
rule” becomes much more powerful: treat
others as they would like to be treated.
Living the platinum rule requires taking genuine interest in others and
getting to know who they are, what they value, and how they like to work—not by
guessing, but by observing and asking them.
This gives us insight into how we can collaborate in ways that help them
stay energized, committed and empowered to do their best work. Here are two simple questions we can ask to
gain this valuable insight:
· As
we begin this project, what is most important to you personally?
· What
can I continue, start, or stop doing to better support you?
2. “Check
in” as often as you “check on”. We tend to be good at “checking on” task and project status. “Did you get the problem solved? What did you
find out from the test results? When
will you have the results to send me?”
However, we generally are not as good at “checking in” with our
colleagues to see how THEY are doing.
“How are you feeling about our progress?
What is most exciting and most frustrating about the project for
you? What can I do differently to be
more helpful?” These types of questions demonstrate
that you care about the other person and give you insight into how a
stakeholder is feeling about the work experience. This insight helps inform what you can do to
help key stakeholders remain motivated and supported to do their part. And simply taking the time to care goes a
long way.
“No one cares how much you know until they know
how much you care.”
John
Maxwell
3. Make vulnerability a strength. Each and every one of us has a handful of natural talents—areas of
strength in which we excel and have fun.
Conversely, we all have “gaps”—areas where we may be weak,
inexperienced, or good but not great.
Rather than feeling you need to be the “hero” who is good at everything,
focus your time and effort on your signature strengths and engage others as
partners to close your gaps. The
operative words here are “engage” and “partner.” By noticing who is great at things you are
not, inviting them to help you in a win-win way, and demonstrating genuine
appreciation for their help and contributions, you inspire others to join you
in a partnership of success. This is
much more powerful than either attempting to “go it alone” or “dumping” what
you don’t like on others.
“Vulnerability is the
birthplace of innovation, creativity and change."
Brené Brown
4. Lean into discomfort. How often do we hear someone say—“Oh, that’s the
elephant in the room!”? And how often to
we spend time and energy talking about the elephant or our colleagues OUTSIDE
the room without addressing the issue INSIDE the room where it lives? Elephants can appear in 1:1 or team
dynamics. Wherever they appear, they
distract us and reduce our productivity or performance. Yet we seldom address them. Rather than continually paying the price, we
can choose to address them by (1) noticing them out loud in a nonjudgmental
manner, (2) asking others if they see a need or opportunity to change
something, and (3) offering and/or soliciting ideas for a different
approach.
Here’s an example: Your team has weekly project meetings for 30
minutes. For several weeks you have
started 5-10 minutes late because people aren’t arriving on time—including the
project leader. Everyone talks about
their frustration with the late start—which usually results in a late
finish—but no one wants to address it because the leader himself is usually late. Rather than ignore it in the room and get
distracted by it outside, address it. At
the beginning of your next meeting simply point out, “We’ve typically been
starting our meetings 5-10 minutes late. Should we change our start time?” By simply putting the elephant on the table,
you are empowering the group to make a conscious choice to do something, or
nothing. This act of conscious choice
tends to diffuse the emotion and often catalyzes a positive change in behavior.
If you want to be a leader who delivers great results AND attracts
and retains top talent, EQ can make
the difference. I’ll close with the wise
words of Maya Angelou:
“I’ve learned that
people will forget what you said. They
will forget what you did. But they will
never forget how you made them feel.”
If you're interested in
learning more about EQ, here are some resources you might find helpful:
