The Power of Collaboration

So last time we looked at why it’s important for someone in a leadership role to develop emotional intelligence... Whether that’s us in the role or it’s the leader we report to, not understanding what causes those highest emotional moments can drive quite the wedge between folks who generally get along well otherwise. But why is emotional intelligence important for everyone - regardless of the level of leadership responsibility they hold?

I frequently reference a study done by Salesforce.com that showed “86% of the executives they surveyed cited lack of collaboration and ineffective communication as the primary reason for workplace failure.” We often hear the term “individual contributor” with regards to someone who isn’t in a leadership role, but how often do we really see someone who truly works alone without any interaction with other people? I can’t think of a single example!

If that Salesforce study is even close to accurate, lack of collaboration is a big stinking deal. And I can’t help but think that “only 36% of people who were tested being able to accurately identify their emotions as they happened” plays a significant part in this!

Picture any work environment you want… Have you seen scenarios where people are at odds with one another for some reason they may not even remember and they take intentional steps to make things even more difficult for each other? How does that impact overall productivity, theirs as well as the entire organization’s? And is it reasonable to think that mess spills over into the rest of the team around them, or even the customers and clients they’re supposed to be serving? Of course! This lack of collaboration leaves a negative mark on all of those things!

Not so long ago, I read an article from the American Management Association citing research done by the Stanford Research Institute International and the Carnegie Melon Foundation showing that “75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25% on technical knowledge.” I don’t care how amazing someone is in a technical role, they won’t reach their potential anywhere they go without harnessing the power of collaboration!

Whether we’re working to build a world-class organization or we’re just doing everything we possibly can to move our own career forward, emotional intelligence plays a key role. I promise we’ll get to some extremely simple steps anyone can take to develop this quickly, but before I do I’m realizing a breakdown of the components of emotional intelligence will provide a solid foundation for us to work from. We’ll get that started next time...