The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving 571: Multi-Award-Winning Researcher Vanessa Druskat on Team Emotional Intelligence
Jul 23, 2025
Vanessa Druskat, an organizational psychologist and professor at the University of New Hampshire, dives into the critical role of team emotional intelligence. She highlights how mutual trust and constructive emotional expression are vital for high-performing teams. Druskat explains that it's not a lack of conflict that defines success, but the ability to navigate it effectively. She also emphasizes the importance of leaders modeling emotional competence and the need for team norms that support adaptability in complex situations. Team emotional intelligence often outperforms individual technical skills.
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Belonging Fuels Team Courage
- Belonging is the key social and emotional need that enables courage and authentic engagement in teams.
- Feeling genuinely accepted and valued fosters psychological safety and motivates team members to speak up and disagree constructively.
Build Belonging by Knowing Each Other
- Start building team belonging by helping members get to know one another deeply.
- Use activities like check-ins, personality surveys, or informal social time to uncover personal strengths and preferences.
Respect Boosts Motivation and Openness
- Demonstrate respect through attentive, nonverbal behaviors like eye contact and avoiding distractions.
- Feeling respected triggers motivation and openness; feeling disrespected causes self-protection and less courage.
