The Multidimensional PM

Competition within technical Innovation markets has never been more pronounced.

The ability for companies to grow and innovate is essential to survival. Business Processes need to be continually refined and improved and strategic initiatives executed. Alignment of Business and orgizational goals to the projects required to achieve them is paramount.

At the forefront of these efforts, and deep in the fray, exists the need for a very unique orgizational role, the project manager. For these reasons, requirements for success with innovation, growth and differentiation are placing a renewed emphasis on project management competency.

Recent research contends that interpersonal and intrapersonal skills “emotional intelligence (EI)” play a more important role than cognitive intelligence, particularly in determining personal success and engagement of people in the workplace. The following Personal competencies form a basis for predicting a person’s EI (Emotional Intelligence) potential:

• Identifying emotions
• Evaluating how others feel
• Controlling one’s own emotions
• Perceiving how others feel
• Using emotions to facilitate social communication
• Relating to others

Are you getting frustrated or having difficulty with figuring out how members on your teams feel about their work and roles on projects and why? Do you find engaging team members socially to be challenging and emotionally demanding? The truth is that many project managers struggle with the social and emotional dimensions of managing the human component of projects. Failure to recognize and improve upon emotional intelligence shortcomings dramatically increases your Risk of PM of career failure.

Signs your emotional intelligence is at Risk and needs honing, include:

• Lack of empathy for others
• Inability to control ones temper or emotions
• Refusing to acknowledge others’ points of view
• Transferring blame and the inability to take responsibility for your actions

Conversely, here are a few signs you have high emotional intelligence:

You:

• Are very curious
• Have exemplary leadership skills
• Are in tune with your own strengths and weaknesses.
• Make helping others a priority
• Are adept at understanding facial cues and expressions.
• Are an excellent judge of character

Regardless of where you fall on the Emotional intelligence spectrum, there’s good news!
There are many options and resources available for working to increase your Emotional Intelligence.

Once you understand more about where you fall on the EI spectrum you’ll be able to hone your Leadership style around areas that may need attention.

An Emotionally Intelligent Leadership style will allow you to not only make assignments based on the unique personalities, goals, and backgrounds your team members possess, but to understand, connect and communicate on new levels.

This progression will foster professional growth, trust and understanding and greatly enhance interpersonal success and engagement while mitigating the Risk of becoming a one-dimensional project manager.