Synopses & Reviews
Technical knowledge alone just isn't enough to bring the toughest projects in successfully. You need good people skills. Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers introduces you to the basic concepts of emotional intelligence and shows how you can apply them to your project goals. You'll learn to use interpersonal skills to get more out of your people and achieve greater results with less effort.
Even if you already recognize the role and value of emotions in the workplace—the way relationships influence the way decisions are made and work gets done— Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers gives you the tools and guidance you need to take your E.I. to a higher level, bringing projects in on time and under budget by changing the way you interact with your people. Packed with checklists and self-assessments, this book shows you how to:
Set the tone and direction for the project • Communicate more effectively • Improve your listening skills • Motivate, coach, and mentor your team members • Create a positive work environment • Establish the kind of high team morale that will help you attract and retain high performing project team members • Productively handle stress, criticism, and blame • Cast a vision for project objectives that will energize, inspire, and motivate your people • Leverage emotional information to make better decisions
The more complex the project, the more significant your interpersonal skills become to achieving a successful outcome. Rich with real-world examples, guidance, and step-by-step techniques, Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers will help you make the leap from being a good project manager to being a great one.
Anthony Mersino, PMP, has more than 20 years of project management experience. He has worked at IBM, Ameritech, and Unisys, and consults for such clients as Abbott Laboratories and NORC at the University of Chicago. He teaches courses for ESI International and Northwestern University and is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Project Management Institute, and the American Society for the Advancement of Project Management.
Review
“I found this book to be a well-structured, easy read that delivers results. Immediately after I started reading the book, I caught myself monitoring and categorizing my feelings in various situations throughout the day. Several times, I paused and rethought the way in which I was about to approach my team members, boss or assistant at work or my husband at home. True to its title, out of the many books dealing with the subject of emotional intelligence, this book is a worthy investment particularly for aspiring or current project management professionals.”
-PM World Today Magazine
Review
“… presents many good, practical suggestions that can definitely have a positive affect on a project team...any project manager must read this book.”--IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine
Review
"... A well-structured, easy read that delivers results... a worthy investment particularly for aspiring or current project management professionals."-PM World Today Magazine
Review
"It’s the book I wished I’d written. If you don’t own a copy, go out and get one."-- pm4girls.com
Review
"Providing a complete framework for applying emotional intelligence to meet the unique challenges of project managers, this powerful book gives readers the tools, techniques and guidance they need.” --Primavera magazine
Synopsis
In order to run projects successfully, project managers need to master more than the requisite technical knowledge. The more complex the project, the more significant their interpersonal skills become to achieving a successful outcome. Without the people skills necessary to lead effectively, even the most carefully orchestrated project can quickly fall apart.
Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers introduces readers to the basic concepts of emotional intelligence and shows how to apply them to their project goals. Readers will learn how to:
* set the tone and direction for the project
* communicate more effectively
* improve listening skills
* create a positive work environment
* motivate, coach, and mentor team members
* productively handle stress, criticism, and blame
* and more.
Complete with checklists and self-assessments, this handy guide enables project managers to apply these important skills to their projects right away.
About the Author
Anthony Mersino, PMP (Northfield, IL) has more than 20 years of project management experience. He has worked at IBM, Ameritech, and Unisys Worldwide, and consults for clients including Abbott and the University of Chicago. He teaches courses for ESI International and Northwest University, and is a member of the National Speakers Association and the Project Management Institute.
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
PART ONE: An Introduction to Emotional Intelligence 1
1 My Growth in Emotional Intelligence 3
A Dangerous Situation 3
Emotional Mastery for Project Managers 5
Project Management Is Competitive 6
What Is Emotional Intelligence? 8
Measuring Your Emotional Intelligence 9
The Good News About Emotional Intelligence 11
Applying Emotional Intelligence to Project Management 12
Emotional Intelligence Is Vital to Project Managers 16
2 A Brief Primer on Emotional Intelligence 19
The Popularity of Emotional Intelligence 19
Some Useful Definitions 20
How to Improve Your Understanding of Emotional
Intelligence Concepts 28
Learning About Emotional Intelligence Is Only the
First Step 29
PART TWO: Project Management Begins with
Self-Management 31
3 Self-Awareness 33
Introduction to Self-Awareness 33
Emotional Self-Awareness 35
Accurate Self-Assessment 44
Self-Confidence 45
Techniques to Improve Your Self-Awareness 46
4 Self-Management 52
The Emotional Intelligence Model for
Project Management 53
Self-Control 55
Techniques to Improve Our Self-Management 75
Additional Techniques for Self-Control and
Self-Management 77
PART THREE: Building Project Stakeholder Relationships 81
5 Social Awareness 83
An Introduction to Social Awareness 83
Empathy 86
Seeing Others Clearly 92
Organizational Awareness 97
Emotional Boundaries 102
Techniques for Improving Our Social Awareness 106
6 Relationship Management 111
An Introduction to Relationship Management 111
Stakeholder Relationships 116
Developing Others 130
Telling the Truth 136
Additional Principles of Relationship Building 143
Techniques for Managing Relationships on Projects 149
PART FOUR: Using EQ to Lead Project Teams 155
7 Project Team Leadership 157
Introduction to Project Team Leadership 157
Communications 159
Conflict Management 167
Inspirational Leadership 174
Additional Considerations for Team Leaders 176
Techniques for Improving Project Team Leadership 185
8 Creating a Positive Team Environment 188
What Makes a Great Project Team 188
How PMs Set the Tone and Direction for the Project 191
The Team Within the Team 199
Techniques for Creating a Positive Team Environment 201
9 Leveraging Emotional Intelligence on Large and
Complex Projects 205
Are You Ready to Lead Large and Complex Projects? 205
Characteristics of Large and Complex Projects 206
Concerns for Large-Scale Project Managers 207
Applying Different Leadership Styles 209
Applying Emotional Intelligence to Virtual Project Teams 218
Emotional Intelligence Techniques for Large and
Complex Projects 222
Epilogue 225
Appendixes 227
A Emotional Tally Sheet 229
B Emotional Intelligence Assessment Checklist 232
C Stakeholder Management Tool 234
D Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) 237
E Emotional Intelligence Movies and Scenes 238
F Magazines and Journals on Emotional Intelligence 240
G Books on Emotional Intelligence 242
H Training Sources for Emotional Intelligence 243
I Emotional Intelligence Web Sites 245
J Emotional Intelligence Assessment Instruments 246
K Results of the 2005 Survey of Emotional Intelligence in PMs 249
Index 257