Love in Action Building Emotionally Intelligent Teams that Outperform the Rest with Vanessa Druskat
Episode recap
Vanessa Druskat, social and organizational psychologist and author of The Emotionally Intelligent Team, joined the Love In Action podcast to unpack what truly separates average teams from exceptional ones. Her decades of research reveal that it’s not brilliance at the top or superstar individual contributors that drive sustained performance. The real differentiator is a team’s emotional ecosystem—the shared norms, routines, and habits that create trust, belonging, and collaborative energy. By shaping the everyday habits discussed, leaders can create a culture where people feel safe, energized, and committed—conditions that ultimately drive exceptional performance.
Bio
Vanessa Druskat is an associate professor at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. As an internationally recognized leadership and team performance expert, Vanessa Druskat advises leaders and teams at over a dozen Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 companies. She is the recipient of multiple research and teaching awards. She is the author of The Emotionally Intelligent Team.
Quotes:
- “We spend a lot of time trying to hire the best people or fix people, but we don’t spend enough time asking the collective what it needs to work better together.”
- “To experience belongingness, a person must feel seen, known, understood, and supported by the entire team. We are wired to perform at our best under these conditions.”
- “Leaders have the power to change their teams’ cultures and add practices that respect members’ universal human need to belong.”
Takeaways:
- Emotionally intelligent teams thrive by creating routines that build trust, psychological safety, and belonging.
- Successful collaboration is driven by helping team members succeed, improving constantly, and seeking new ideas.
- Understanding teammates’ unique strengths and personalities is key to engagement and high performance.
- Addressing unacceptable behavior with caring, actionable feedback strengthens team dynamics.
- Leaders should assess team needs regularly and set collective norms to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Timestamps:
0:00:02 Introduction & Episode Overview
0:02:40 Guest Welcome & Background
0:05:32 Motivations for Studying Teams
0:07:10 Defining Team Emotional Intelligence
0:10:40 Team Norms & Three Core Buckets
0:15:33 Helping One Another Succeed
0:16:37 Understanding Team Members
0:18:55 Demonstrating Caring
0:23:15 Addressing Unacceptable Behavior
0:29:43 Measuring Team Success
0:32:11 Groupthink & Decision Making
0:33:29 Speed Round: Personal Insights
0:36:26 Hopes for 2026
0:37:53 Leadership, Love, and Final Advice
0:40:53 Connecting with Vanessa Druskat
0:41:41 Closing Remarks
Conclusion:
As we wrap up this episode, remember that extraordinary teams aren’t built by perfect individuals—they’re powered by collective trust, curiosity, and care. Let today be your reminder to reach out, understand, and uplift those around you. When we lead with empathy and foster true connection, the results speak for themselves. Here’s to building teams where every voice matters, and collaboration leads the way.
Links/Resources:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-druskat/
Website - https://www.vanessadruskat.com/
Team EI Survey – https://www.vanessadruskat.com/survey
Book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1647824877?tag=bk00010a-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true
University of New Hampshire - https://paulcollege.unh.edu/person/vanessa-druskat