Thinking With Mitch Joel Emotionally Intelligent Teams With Vanessa Urch Druskat - TWMJ #1013
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Dec 7, 2025 Vanessa Urch Druskat, an esteemed organizational psychologist and professor known for her pioneering work on Team Emotional Intelligence, dives into how effective collaboration is engineered, not inherent. She delves into the critical role of team norms over individual traits in driving performance and discusses the importance of psychological safety in fostering collaboration. Vanessa shares insights on adapting to remote work dynamics, the necessity of coaching in leadership, and how understanding each other strengthens teams. Her research highlights emotional intelligence as fundamental to high-performing cultures.
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Teams Are Designed, Not Discovered
- Great teams are built by designed norms and emotional climates, not by assembling talented individuals.
- Vanessa Druskat shows team performance depends on shared habits like listening, respect, and feedback.
Individual EI Alone Isn’t Enough
- Individual emotional intelligence doesn't translate into team success without team processes that use those skills.
- High-performing teams pair good people with strong norms to amplify collective performance.
Create And Enforce Simple Norms
- Set simple, observable norms (e.g., eye contact, no multitasking) and reinforce them through team accountability.
- Teach leaders to establish and hold those norms so the team sustains better collaboration.
