Emotional Intelligence: A Guide for Project Managers

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Emotional Intelligence: A Guide for Project Managers

2-Day Workshop

Call +1 503 293 3557 or email for more information.

Overview

In this class, we equip project leadership with the insights, techniques and tools to help them successfully navigate complex, interdependent, expectation-laden projects. The secret to success is applying Emotional Intelligence (EI) to challenging project situations, and participants in this class will not only learn about Emotional Intelligence but will also learn to identify it, leverage it, and improve it on their teams.

Participants receive two booklets (one for each day) containing course materials:

The slides, pre-populated with notes and info (still plenty of room to add your own)
Eight case studies, all about the same project examining different uses of EI
Tools and techniques to use on-the-job next day
A comprehensive bibliography/resource list

Participants receive Working With Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman prior to the workshop date

Course Benefits

This course enables participants to:

Apply Emotional Intelligence to project work every day
Improve Emotional Intelligence (yours and the team’s) on the job
Know the foundations of Emotional Intelligence--concepts, theories, experiments, results
Accelerate project progress by employing specific EI competencies
Adopt practical deliverables you can use on a project to use EI every day
Assess your Personal and Social EI capabilities so you can leverage your strengths and get to work on your weaknesses

Who should attend:

Program/Project Managers
Technical managers
Business leadership
Project leads
Prospective project managers and project leads

About the Instructor

Susan de la Vergne was an Information Technology manager for 25 years, a career she prepared for by majoring in English and Theater in college. Susan brings her interesting and unusual combination of education and experience to engineers and tech professionals who want to become better communicators. Whether it’s learning how to prepare and deliver effective, actionable presentations or how to write efficient, actionable, even enjoyable (!) business deliverables. Using real-world examples, humor, stories and examples from her experience, Susan shares immediately usable techniques in her classes. “Emotional Intelligence: A Guide for Project Managers” is lively, practical, relevant, and participants learn dozens of techniques and practices that can be put to use right away.

What People Said About Emotional Intelligence: A Guide for Project Managers

"I really appreciate that this course used real life not just theory."

- Patricia Kelley, The Regence Group

"This will help improve team participation, performance management, and conflict management."

- Shana DeLuche, Barco Medical Imaging Systems

"Valuable mix of slides, 'cases in point,' 'ask yourself' and fresh tips."

- Shari Lawrence, Sage Software

"Since I first heard Susan speak, I have been intrigued by her subject matter on the 'human side' of project management, and am continuing to pursue more of her seminars as a big fan. If you are ready for something interesting about working with project teams that you won't find in the PMBOK, you will find this timely.

- Phil Glynn, IT Project Manager, Portland General Electric

Course Content

Prework: Readings from Working With Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

DAY 1

What is Emotional Intelligence (EI)?
The background of EI – the basics
Book discussion (Working With Emotional Intelligence)
Study results: The measurable proof of EI benefits on the job

Personal EI Competencies Project Managers Need Most
How self regulation and motivation “work”
Project teams with (and without) Achievement Drive – what you can do
Project leadership and Optimism – Why it matters and what if yours is flagging?
Encouraging Adaptability – Help team members cope with change, even conflicting direction

Limitations
Examining EI to understand what’s in the way
Looking “under the hood” to reveal motivations
Re-directing negativity

Developing EI in Others
Project Manager and Functional Manager as Coach
PM and Functional Manager working together – using EI to improve matrix management
Using EI to develop performance objectives
Should you, can you reward EI?

Personal EI – How We Can Develop it In Ourselves
What are your strengths? Shortcomings?
Perfection isn’t the point: What EI characteristics do you need most?
Specifics: Want to grow your own (be more adaptable, optimistic)? Here’s how!

DAY 2

The “Trouble” with Projects
Assessing project challenges where you work
Why “the usual approach” to fixing project problems falls short
PMI – a good foundation – but beyond cost/schedule/performance …?
The emotional realities of projects – and how they change as projects progress

Project Culture
Beyond Cost, Schedule and Performance – why projects run aground
How Project Culture helps and hinders your success
Using Project Culture to focus EI on projects where you work
The effects of Project Culture on your deliverables
Assessing your Project Culture

Social EI Competencies
What are the “social” competencies projects need most?
Identifying and leveraging social strengths within project teams
Shoring up weaknesses
“Reading” others – why we don’t, how we can

Using Social EI Competencies to:
Overcome “I never know what they’re doing over there”
Optimize communications deliverables on projects
Get timely action on “bad news”
Uncover the politics of status reporting
Handle the matrix management problem: “They don’t work for me; I’m just the PM”
Escalate issues in a matrix management environment
Helping others live with ambiguity in the workplace

Contact us for more information.