807: Communicate Effectively Using Leadership and Emotional Intelligence with Susan Schwartz

What is leadership and how do you drive organizational change?

Susan Schwartz is a leadership and management coach, speaker, and author of “Creating a Greater Whole.” She equips professionals who are moving into manager and partner tracks to develop the necessary skills to build better relationships and communicate effectively. Today, Susan talks about emotional intelligence, which she describes as an external tool that helps you observe situations and choose how to respond appropriately. She emphasizes the value of self-reflection, building a balanced team, and practicing emotional intelligence skills to become a more effective leader.

Quotes

“Emotional intelligence can be interpreted in a variety of ways. From my perspective, emotional intelligence is how you react to external situations, how people are behaving, and the situation around you.” - Susan Schwartz

“Leadership is not a solo sport. Many people think that when they have the title of manager, they are all alone. They are not. Their strength comes from giving confidence to their team and bringing them together to collaborate.” - Susan Schwartz

“The key is to help each team member recognize and understand how they fit in, where their function contributes, and to understand what the other teams do and how they can communicate.” - Susan Schwartz

Takeaways

01:14 Emotional intelligence is about how you react to external situations and people, not just your inner self.

09:18 Balancing your strengths and weaknesses as a leader by pairing them with complementary team members can create a more well-rounded and effective organization.

16:43 Understanding how different roles and teams fit together towards a shared mission is crucial for organizational alignment.

18:33 Listening to understand, not just to respond, is an important skill for leaders to develop.

22:27 Effective leaders build confident, collaborative teams by empowering their people and encouraging them to solve problems.

28:49 Practicing emotional intelligence is a continuous process, as it becomes more natural with time and experience.

Resources

• The River Birch Group: Transforming expert professionals into emotionally intelligent leaders
• Connect with Susan Schwartz, MA PMP on LinkedIn
• Creating a Greater Whole: A Project Manager’s Guide to Becoming a Leader (Best Practices in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management) by Susan Schwartz on Amazon

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Filed in: Archive 4: 2020-2023 • Interview • Podcast