As previously, the aim of this 3rd article is to provide those with responsibility for leading people with methods for personal engagement and a tool kit of practical activities which can be used during your daily/weekly team catch-ups.
In a study of more than 2000 managers from 12 large organisations, 81% of the competencies that distinguished outstanding managers were related to emotional intelligence. Re-analysed data from 40 different organisations to differentiate star performers from average ones . . . Emotional competencies were found to be twice as important in contributing to excellence as intellect and expertise. [Jacobs and Chen (1997)]
To bring these studies to life and make them relevant for us now, we need clarity on what constitutes a good manager and what are the emotional competencies they display. In this third article we will look at:
- Investing in our emotional capability
- Igniting openness
1. Investing in our emotional capability
At a fundamental level what do we want from our manager? A consistency of behaviour, “you know what you are going to get”, “you leave them feeling more motivated to perform”, clear expectations and meaningful feedback. Add in the business uncertainty and personal chaos, with the virtual element twist, makes having a manager who can deliver the fundamentals got even more critical. How do you deliver this consistently positive impact? On social media a lot of important advice related to topics such as how to exercise, using meditation, and delivering acts of kindness have all been proposed as important tactics to support this, however potentially the biggest determinant of your ability to lead people effectively during COVID-19 will be the strength of your emotional-self-awareness, more specifically the ability:- To distinguish between subtle changes in the up to 600 emotions we experience!
- A strong grasp of what ‘triggers’ your emotions
- To grasp how emotions affect you
- To manage how you display different emotions: body language, tone of voice
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Target a handful of calls/video meetings each week; when they conclude, and you are confirming the key points or actions, take 90 seconds to jot down the strongest emotions you experienced during the meeting. You can use the list below as a prompt to get you started; also reflect on what caused that emotion in you. Repeat the process by reflecting immediately on how a handful of your more important emails left you feeling and why. Don’t worry about doing it well or trying to be too precise with the emotion or cause, the simple act of reflection will strengthen emotional awareness and strengthen your impact. Every few weeks take 10 minutes to review your notes and what you will notice is a how much easier it has become to label the emotion and the greater the range of emotions you experience, and you will have uncovered patterns about what drives your emotions. If it works for you, introduce it to your team. |
| Impatient | Acceptance | Thankful | Perturbed |
| Disbelieving | Afraid | Hopeful | Inspired |
| Pessimistic | Exasperated | Motivated | Warmth |
| Despondent | Guilt | Powerful | Sombre |
| Dejected | Isolated | Receptive | Hankering |
| Downcast | Keen | Restless | Yearning |
| Powerless | Compassionate |
2. Igniting openness
In the UK we are approaching 3 weeks into lockdown and a range of predictions, but no certainty of when or how it might end. The impact of COVID-19 is touching every individual, community and industry. The access we have to data, research and expert insight enables us to stay knowledgeable and mentally engages us. However, assuming we can survive and battle the disease, what will define how we come out the other side will be how we get our head around it. Many of us will be purposefully staying strong and doing our best not too display vulnerability because we believe that this may adversely impact our loved ones. This is where your people management comes to the fore, by sharing our emotions we will encourage others to share, which has the potential to make us all feel a little lighter, gain added perspective and create togetherness. Intellectually, managers grasp the importance of encouraging openness, as the research evidence of its power is hard to refute. In practice however, many managers aren’t comfortable with it and, let’s be clear, placing it at the top of the team meeting agenda. How we feel about COVID-19 is going to feel more like an episode of the ‘Office’ than something people are eager to commit to. Thus, the challenge is how do we get people to share how they feel, in a way which is useful and not torturous? |
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Share a list of movie or song titles with your team and ask them (individually or as a group) to select the titles that best describe how things are for them and their household right now. (Explain that they do not have to have seen the movie or listened to the song, it’s just the title which counts). This will allow, for example, those with huge family pressures to open up about schooling/caring for the children, for those on their own to share the feeling of being isolated or for those who are coping well to share what is helping them. Using these metaphors makes it easier to talk about emotions and non-work stuff, and provides some much-needed humour and energy. Repeating this activity at intervals will allow the team to evidence progress and feed the sense of hope that they as individuals, team and society are making progress. There is a list of movie titles below which you can use, or you can google your own list (of movie or song titles). |
| The Main Event | Marooned | Against All Odds | Midway | Alice in Wonderland | Mad Max |
| The Bad News Bears | The Baby Maker | Battle Force | The Muppet Movie | The Music Man | The Big Chill |
| Blazzing Saddles | A New Life | Now and Forever | The Odd Couple | The Challenge | City in Fear |
| Clean and Sober | Parent Trap | Cocoon | The Prisoner of Zelda | The Darkside | Protocol |
| The Quiet Man | The Ratings Game | Raw Courage | Risky Business | Educating Rita | Scared Stiff |
| Exodus | Fear City | Ferris Bueller’s Day Off | Fighting Mad | Some Kind of Hero | The Flight of the Phoenix |
| 48 Hours | Frantic | Stir Crazy | Free Fall | Freedom Force | From Here to Eternity |
| Funny Farm | Talking Walls | The Gathering | Ghost Town | The Glass House | The Telephone |
| Good News | Good Neighbour Sam | That’s Life | Gotcha! | The Thing | The Turning Point |
| True Grit | 12 Angry Men | Twilight Zone | Imitation of Life | Up the Creek | Vertigo |
| It’s Alive | Volunteers | Walking Tall | Whoopee! | The Wild Bunch | The Last Detail |
| Local Hero | The Longest Day | Without a Clue |
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