Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2022 - 24

FEATURE / EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
The key to exceptional teams
Most people are familiar with the concept
of " functional work. " Functional
work is the technical tasks that must
be completed to move an idea, process
or solution to fruition. These tasks are
best executed by specialists, experts
and practitioners-the things people
go to school to learn. Because the tasks
are so specialized, functional work is
more tangible. You can monitor it, you
can measure it, you can track it. When
it comes to hiring, managers can assess
whether candidates possess the
qualifications needed for the functional
dimensions of a role.
People are less familiar with another
type of work: emotional. This
is the work the teams must do to
come together to accomplish a goal:
relationship building, effective communication,
teamwork, collaboration,
proactive conflict resolution, managing
stakeholders and self-awareness.
Think about this as the " work around
the work. " Your professional life is a
circle within a circle. The core is the
technical work that must be done, and
everything else is emotional work,
which requires emotional intelligence.
But emotional intelligence is often
pushed to the wayside. It is harder
to understand, assess and measure
than functional work, which is tangible,
time-bound and finite. However,
emotional intelligence is a key factor
of success when a team must work
together to achieve a common goal-
because trust, camaraderie, healthy
debate, respect and understanding
can create an unshakable foundation
of teamwork and collaboration.
The term emotional intelligence
was coined by Daniel Goleman, a psychologist
at Rutgers University in New
Jersey, to establish the importance of
this skill to leadership. According to
Oxford's English Dictionary, emotional
intelligence is the capacity to be aware
of, control and express one's emotions
and to handle interpersonal relationships
judiciously and empathetically.
Basically, it's the art of being human.
In this day and age, it's easy to
forget that behind the work are actual
humans. And in health care, in an era
of burnout and turnover, this is the
moment to bring the humanity back
to work.
Why emotional
intelligence matters
In a work environment with low
emotional
intelligence,
the negative
downstream effects are significant. It
eventually leads to a lack of trust, and
people begin to assume bad intent.
People start to feel their opinions and
thoughts aren't valued. Because there
is no care, respect or empathy, words
go in one ear and out the other. On top
of that, low levels of emotional intelligence
creates poor communication.
Important information is withheld in
conversations
and
decision-making.
SUCCESS STRATEGIES
7 traits of an emotionally
intelligent leader
These are the traits indicative of emotional intelligence.
SELF-AWARENESS. Understanding your
abilities. What are you good at? What are
you not good at?
EMPATHY. The ability to put yourself in
somebody else's shoes and imagine what
they may be feeling.
HUMILITY. The recognition that even if
you are exceptional in one area, you can
always improve in another.
GROWTH MINDSET. Combining selfawareness
and humility into a desire
to grow.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING. The ability
within your working environment to establish
trust and credibility and develop
long-term relationships.
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CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Summer 2022
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. The
ability to express ideas clearly and
provocatively and promote the timely,
ongoing flow of useful information.
PERSONAL INFLUENCE. Being able to
understand people's communication
styles and preferences so that you can
adjust your approach.
»QUICK TIP | One question to always ask
Set aside time to ask the question,
" What are your communication preferences
and what are your communication
pet peeves? " You will be surprised to find
how much of a trust builder that can be.
Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2022

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