How to check yo’self before you wreck yo’self—professionally
Even rocket scientists can get a little unhinged at work.
When NASA adopted “crowdsourcing”—getting input from external sources to solve some of its problems—it worked. Management knew the feedback would resolve many serious issues. But there was a problem: Some scientists, who saw their role as problem solvers, felt so hurt and threatened they began sabotaging the entire effort.
It’s a story that Ali Boyd, adjunct faculty in Executive Education at the Daniels College of Business, uses to show that no one is immune from emotions—even PhD scientists—at work.
This is the arena of what’s often dubbed emotional intelligence (EI) or Boyd’s preference, conscious self-awareness. Regardless of the name, Boyd said it’s all about being able to align yourself with work situations and then act skillfully.
Ali Boyd
And when people don’t act skillfully at work, Boyd’s colleague, Amanda Cahal, said the cost can be high.
“All the research shows that EI is critical to success in life, and accounts for anywhere from 80% to 90% of life’s success,” said Cahal, director of MBA global programs and adjunct faculty member in Executive Education at Daniels.
Cahal added that when careers get derailed, three-quarters of the time it’s due to a lack of EI skills—not being able to build trust, lead through change or navigate difficult conversations.
Fortunately, Cahal said, EI skills can be learned and the outward actions of EI—listening, being empathic, checking emotions, reading a room—are not particularly difficult. What is tough: Remembering to use these skills in the trenches—when you’re busy or stressed. “It’s a constant practice, and often it’s about breaking habits,” Cahal said.
One tip Cahal offered is to realize the space of time between an event and your response, then expand that space. She cited famed author Victor Frankl, who championed harnessing the space between stimulus and response and making that space longer. “It really helps to check ourselves in that split second before we respond.”
To do that, try physical cues. Cahal has a colleague who realized she had a bad habit of interrupting conversations. Now, when the urge hits, she touches her ear as a reminder to stay quiet. “She knew her habit and she actively worked to counteract it,” Cahal said.
Amanda Cahal
Both Cahal and Boyd said knowing yourself is fundamental in EI and that’s why Daniels uses a work-style assessment tool called Insights Discovery—it boosts self-awareness by revealing how you communicate, what motivates you and what stresses you out.
“Ideally, EI is present in every part of our lives, whether personal or professional, and it always starts with self-awareness,” Cahal said.
Boyd suggested being proactive by noticing what tends to send you into a reactive spiral—whether it’s people or circumstances or both.
“Keep learning and stretching. It’s a matter of being in training. If I was training for a marathon, I’d get a training program with nutrition, a coach, etc. We’re in the same territory here. Make mindfulness, self-knowledge, self-awareness, yoga, martial arts a part of your training,” Boyd said. “And get people who’ll mirror for you what you’re good at and what you can improve on. You don’t want ‘yes people,’ but people who can help you see yourself more honestly. I’m always training with all of that to see my blind spots more clearly.”
Cahal added, “At the end of the day, emotional intelligence is about people. No matter where we work, no matter what we choose to do with our lives, it’s the people who make up our world.”
And it is people who structure organizations, a point worth noting in the NASA story, Boyd said.
She wasn’t surprised by the scientists’ reaction because she said NASA’s culture reflects the common practice in U.S. culture of rewarding individual achievement. “The design of an organization’s structure tells us what we’ll get as an output,” Boyd said.
NASA has reportedly restructured with less focus on problem solvers and more emphasis on solution seekers.
For more information about Executive Education programs and training, including emotional intelligence, visit daniels.du.edu/execed.