Emotional Intelligence and the project manager

Project management, as an academic field, spends a lot of time discussing the tactics and strategies for running projects smoothly. But methodologies, tools and experience will only get a project manager as far as the launch. To drive a successful project through to completion, a project manager also needs to wear the hat of a therapist, moderator, motivator, disciplinarian and emotional confidant. It is the emotional intelligence and a project manager’s ability to navigate the needs, demands and sensitivities of his or her team that make a project manager great.

Emotional intelligence is a specific set of skills in social intelligence. In the field of psychology, emotional intelligence is an individual's ability to perform abstract reasoning and adapt to the environment. These skills, like any other skill, can be learned with time and practice. Emotional intelligence, according to D. Goleman "Is the ability to recognize feelings in yourself and in others, being able to handle when working with others."

Within an organization, the project manager has to have certain skills that allow him or her to influence the behavior of others. Everyone in the organization has needs and preferences, the project manager must understand this aspect in each member of the team and align project needs to each individual.

Emotional intelligence is therefore a set of talents and capabilities organized into four domains:

• Ability to perceive emotions accurately (capacity of perception, ability to distinguish between different emotions).
• Ability to apply emotions to facilitate thinking and reasoning (knowing how to use emotions to make decisions).
• Ability to understand your own emotions and those of others (empathy, put yourself in other person's shoes).
• Ability to control one's emotions (this control comes from understanding).