Subject: Project Management

LEAD.301.C1 Personal Leadership

You need to respond to your Professor and Classmates answers regarding of the important topic of emotional intelligence. Example: (Great post mate! As we have learned this week, a leader's emotional intelligence quotient is a vastly underrated aspect of being a good leader. It is where a lot of analytics and analysis guys and gals fail in the big picture because in reality, they are not leaders, but subject matter experts at this point. It's fine, and a good niche to have, but I think those sorts of folks shouldn't burden themselves with leadership tasks when it's quite clear they do not want them. That said, I am not surprised to see you have a very strong emotional intelligence quotient across the boards. I think that I only broke into the 40's on the empathy side.)

Initial Post Leader with high EQ For instance, Melinda Gates is a leader with a high EQ. Empathy, sensibility, and sensitivity to people from different walks of life are her hallmarks. In this regard, as a co-founder of the company and philanthropist, she knows all the challenges faced by individuals coming from developing and poor nations, putting nonstop efforts into finding solutions. Gates demonstrated her emotional intelligence when speaking to a small girl about the reason why, she cared so much for people living in Africa. Or probably he just told her that. For instance, she told stories rather than giving any reasonable justification about how she lived in Africa as well as interact with its locals. However, they prove to be persistent in their attitude. what made her decide to move away from those people in relation to their strengths, such as courage and endurance in hard times. Through the way the girl answered him, Gates managed to identify and understand how she felt. The girl had been looking for something in addition to information and she sensed that he couldn't provide it. expressed her worries and passions. She employed her tale to tell the youth that even though they believe they are not alone; they want to contribute to societal transformation. Leader with low EQ A leader who lacked in emotional intelligence such as that of Harvey Weinstein. For a famous movie producer like Weinstein, his image as an ugly and predatory guy toward women precedes and identifies him. By means of using his strength and authority over people, he made them be his wives and forced them to have intercourse with him. One instance of poor EQ by Weinstein included the dialogue they had with actress, Ashley Judd. According to Judd, Weinstein invited her to his hotel room for meetings and then changed the subject from work to having her give him massages while wearing his underwear. However, since then Weinstein kept on sexually abusing Judd. This clearly reveals the insensitive attitude of men like Weinstein towards women. That is because he could not put himself in Judd's shoes to understand how his saying or action affected Judd emotionally. The other factor that also made him aggressive was he could not manage his feelings and impulses. Self-assessment of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Self-aware 39 Empathy 38 Managing Emotions 35 Motivating Oneself 36 My ability to be very self-aware is one thing I like the most about myself. It shows me that I can have emotional mastery. Moreover, my exceptionally high level of empathy allows me to identify and understand feelings experienced by others and, thus, enables me to build positive relationships with them. Prof Question: In terms of your conclusion (last sentence), do you find that true with all people? How do you make that assessment? How would you improve, or what advice/ recommendations would you have for others?

Your Response:

C1. During my pursuit of a bachelor's degree a few years ago, an unexpected incident occurred when my mother had an accident, leading to an eight-day hospitalization. Tragically, this coincided with my exam period.

Struggling to prepare adequately due to this family emergency, I felt compelled to approach my professors to discuss the possibility of making up for the missed exams. The stark contrast in their reactions left a lasting impression, prompting me to recount these experiences. In the context of one particular course, Thermal Transfer 2, the encounter with the professor remains vivid in my memory. Anticipating a tense meeting, I was surprised by the warmth of his welcome. He greeted me amiably, offering a comforting cup of tea, demonstrating a genuine interest in my situation as I shared my predicament. Following a prior email explanation, I found solace in his compassionate response. He not only empathized with my circumstances but also made me feel valued by disregarding his ringing phone. This act of undivided attention conveyed a sense of significance. Collaboratively, we arranged an alternate exam time not just for my benefit but for any student seeking a fair chance to improve their scoresa display of fairness and understanding that I deeply appreciated. However, my encounter with another professor was vastly different. Upon arriving at the office, I sensed an unwelcoming air from the onset. Not only did he decline my entry, but he also adopted a dismissive demeanor. As I explained the extenuating circumstances, his reaction was unexpectedly harsh. He raised his voice, expressing disregard for the situation and proclaiming a disdain for students who did not take his course seriously. In an abrupt and callous manner, he offered only one solutionto drop the course, leaving me feeling unsupported and disheartened. These contrasting experiences profoundly shaped my perspective on empathy, understanding, and the impact educators can have on their students' lives during challenging times. The kindness and flexibility demonstrated by one professor contrasted starkly with the lack of empathy and inflexibility displayed by the other, highlighting the significant influence educators hold in shaping their students' academic experiences and well-being, and I believe the same is applicable to working environments.

The results from the test show that my strength areas are self-awareness, empathy, and social skills, which lie with my Clifton Strengthfinder. As we go forward, I am more confident about my decision on not to pursue my engineering path. Your Response#1

C2: An of a leader demonstrating strong emotional intelligence is my current manager. One day, we had a significant "fire" come about on our project that had severe consequences on our projected timeline for completion. She maintained a calm and empathetic demeanor when she called me into her office to discuss it. Her facial expressions were open and non-judgmental, and she used a warm tone. She started the conversation by asking how I was feeling and if there was anything on my mind and what my thoughts were on the situation and how our team got into the position we were not in. She used active listening skills, nodding and validating my feelings throughout our conversation. She provided constructive feedback on the situation, emphasizing where the breakdown occured and how she viewed it, as well as suggestions for how to move forward. I felt understood, motivated, and encouraged to learn from the situation and implement strategies to ensure we never found ourselves in the situation again.

2. During my time on a Navy ship, we had a commanding officer who often displayed low emotional intelligence. During a high-stress situation, he addressed the crew with a confrontational and aggressive tone. His facial expressions were stern, and his body language was rigid and imposing. He used words like "incompetence" and "failure" when referring to some crew members' actions.

The impact on me and the crew was significant. We felt a heightened sense of stress and anxiety. Many crew members became demoralized and hesitant to communicate or take initiative due to the fear of being berated.

The aggressive posture and way of speech created a toxic and unproductive working environment. The low emotional intelligence of the commanding officer had a serious impact on morale leading to an overall negative emotional state among the crew. We felt disengaged and demotivated, which, in a military context, can have serious consequences for both the well-being of the crew and the operational effectiveness of the ship.

3. Social Skill (46), Self-Awareness (45), Motivating Oneself (41), Managing Emotion (32) and Empathy (31). I was not totally surprised by these results, I had an end of year review with my manager today and she told me that my greatest skills are communication, developing and motivating others and building collaborative relationships which tie in well with the "Social Skill" aspect. The only think I was surprised by was my low score in Empathy, which obviously means I have some self-reflection to do. Which shouldn't be too hard considering my self-awareness skill was relatively high.

Your Response#2

C3: I understand that to improve my emotional intelligence (EQ), I need to identify where I can grow. While I am strong in self-awareness, empathy, and social skills, I see that managing emotions and self-motivation are areas where I could improve. To better regulate my emotions, I will practice mindfulness and meditation. These techniques will help me become more aware of my feelings and how to control them. I will also try cognitive reappraisal, which means I will try to look at challenging situations as opportunities rather than stressors, changing the emotional impact they have on me. Regarding motivation, I will start setting specific and attainable goals to give myself a clear direction and a sense of purpose. I also want to find intrinsic rewards in my tasks those personal satisfactions that come from the work itself rather than external rewards. This approach should help sustain my focus on long-term goals, especially when facing obstacles. My empathy and social skills are strong points that benefit not just me but also those around me. I can use these skills to foster a supportive atmosphere at work, similar to the one created by Dr. Petty, whose leadership I deeply appreciated. By understanding and supporting my colleagues, I can contribute to a more harmonious workplace. When it comes to giving positive feedback to my teammates, I will make sure to be specific about what behaviors I am acknowledging and explain the positive impact those actions have on our team. This practice not only validates the importance of high EQ but also encourages its development among my peers. By focusing on these areas of EQ and consistently offering constructive feedback within my team, I can help createeee aaaannn environment where both personal and collective emotional intelligence can flourish.

Your Response#3

C4: There are two important things that come to my mind when I think about my decision to leave Mechanical Engineering and move towards HR. Both of them can increase my confidence, but the second one can increase it way more.

The first thing is being able to make money from what I enjoy doing, which can happen if I can find a position in HR. My ultimate goal is to become an influential and successful coach. So, finding a job, even as an intern, and being accepted as a member of the HR society will highly increase my confidence.

The second thing that is important to me is being useful and helpful to others. It takes a lot of time, effort and courage to completely change one's career path. The ultimate stage that can give me great pleasure, confidence, and satisfaction is to help young generations avoid making the same mistake I did. I want to show them how my help can lead to their happiness, success, and joy in life. This is how I feel I can make the best use of the resources that Mother Nature has provided me.

Your Response#4

C5: 1. Observing the actions of Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, during the COVID-19 pandemic, is an example of strong emotional intelligence (EQ) in leadership. Ardern's speeches to her nation displayed exceptional self-awareness and empathy. Her facial expressions consistently reflected the gravity of the situation; her furrowed brow and solemn eyes conveyed understanding and concern. She was always careful in selecting her words to offer reassurance without downplaying the severity of the crisis to the citizens of New Zealand. Her warm yet firm tone conveyed confidence, frequently saying, "We will get through this together."

Ardern's body language was inclusive and open, using hand gestures and making eye contact, which suggested unity and collective effort. With an emotionally intelligent leader like Ardern, New Zealanders felt a sense of calm and trust. In this emotional state, it became easier to follow guidelines and protocols because they were communicated with clear empathy and authority. As someone who works in healthcare, there were times when we looked to what New Zealand was doing to make decisions during the early days of COVID. Countries like New Zealand and Singapore had emotionally intelligent leaders, who were able to make tough decisions during an unprecedented times.

2. In contrast, a public figure who has exhibited low emotional intelligence is the former President, Donald Trump. During many of his public appearances, Trump displayed behaviors that indicated a lack of self-control (self awareness) and empathy. For instance, his erratic speeches, inconsistent facial expressions and lack of self awareness, did not match the context of the conversation, and his aggressive body language and combative and hostile tone are indicative of someone not managing emotions well. Words are often blurted out with little consideration for their impact, and his confrontational tone often escalated situations unnecessarily.

3. Based on my EQ self-assessment, I scored 41 in Self-Awareness, 33 in Managing Emotions, 36 in Motivating Oneself, 39 in Empathy, and 35 in Social Skills. This indicates that my strongest area is self-awareness. It means that I have a good understanding of my emotions. My empathy level is also relatively high, which means that I am able to understand and share other people's feelings, crucial for building strong relationships.

However, managing emotions appears to be an area where I need improvement. The lower score suggests that I may have difficulty regulating my feelings, especially in stressful situations. While my scores indicate a good balance between self-motivation, social skills, and other factors, there is still potential for improvement in these areas.

Your Response#5