Emotional intelligence for leaders covers many different skill sets and can be applied in varying situations. Stakeholder engagement is a key one.
This is the first in a three part series on the applications of emotional intelligence in engaging stakeholders. This article will address the importance of stakeholder emotions and why it is worth attending to them. The second article examines - How to prepare emotional profiles on stakeholders prior to meeting them so that you can predict how they may respond and be ready to handle any objections from the beginning. The third explains how to use this data to successfully - Convince a stakeholder of your position.
The more you are aware of and, understand stakeholder emotions, the greater influence you can have. Of course, your ability to do this will be influenced by your own levels of emotional intelligence, and how capable you are of managing their emotions once you are aware of them.
Which Emotional Intelligence Skills Do Leaders Need For a successful Stakeholders´ Engagement?
This is the first in a three part series on the applications of emotional intelligence in engaging stakeholders. This article will address the importance of stakeholder emotions and why it is worth attending to them. The second article examines - How to prepare emotional profiles on stakeholders prior to meeting them so that you can predict how they may respond and be ready to handle any objections from the beginning. The third explains how to use this data to successfully - Convince a stakeholder of your position.
The more you are aware of and, understand stakeholder emotions, the greater influence you can have. Of course, your ability to do this will be influenced by your own levels of emotional intelligence, and how capable you are of managing their emotions once you are aware of them.
Which Emotional Intelligence Skills Do Leaders Need For a successful Stakeholders´ Engagement?
- "Emotional awareness of others" - Accurately read the stakeholders' emotions, in advance, of meetings.
- "Managing others' emotions" - Effectively manage the stakeholders' emotions, during, the meetings.
Why stakeholders' emotions are important? The easiest way to answer this question is to remember that emotions run behaviours whether we’re aware of them or not, therefore, emotions run business more than facts and numbers. My experience in working with Project Managers, Senior Business Managers and executive teams is that, they approach their stakeholders with information, folders full of documents and facts and numbers. And information only. Then when the stakeholders disagree or argue about some of the facts, figures or proposals they counter this with further facts, figures or theories. There seems to be a belief that information on its own will convince people that their plans, proposals or information should be adopted. There is a fundamental flaw in the logic here. The flaw is that people, including key stakeholders, do not make decisions on facts alone. Emotions drive behaviours, whether you are aware of them or not.
WHAT INFLUENCES STAKEHOLDERS? Their behaviour and discussions are also influenced by HOW THEY:
- Feel about the facts.
- Feel about the organisation and their history with the organisation.
- Feel about the person or team making the proposal
- Feel about the project.
- Feel about the costs involved.
- Feel about the pressures and demands being placed upon them by their own senior people and stakeholder
- Feel within themselves that day.
- Feel about themselves and their level of influence and competency, (e.g. may feel insecure, undervalued, threatened, anxious, important, secure or confident).
- Feel about other people's reactions to the proposal.
- Feel about the results that they perceive will occur from agreeing or disagreeing.
- Feel about the likely success of the project.
- Feel about their present workload.
And so on. This is why emotional intelligence also matters. Many emotions and, sometimes, conflicting emotions, are involved. These are not necessarily on the surface or owned, but they are present nevertheless. Research at the University of New South Wales, clearly demonstrates that: (1)Affect and cognition are not separate - thought and emotion are intertwined (2)Feelings have a multifaceted influence on everything that we think or do. (3)Mood affects memory and critical thinking.
When a stakeholder meeting results in disagreements and, emotions are ignored, then much time can be wasted on loading up discussions with more and more information without any headway being gained. This is neither emotionally intelligent nor a valuable application of IQ.
- Conflicts can become protracted
- Situations can become hostile
- Frustration can develop
- Projects can be delayed
- Approvals can be refused.
Why then wouldn’t you also factor emotional information into the decisions you make about - how to approach, discuss and convince your stakeholders to adopt your plans, proposals or ideas? When you have low emotional intelligence you are likely to fail to pay attention to the emotional data that is influencing your stakeholders. If you ignore this kind of emotional information about your stakeholders when you are negotiating with them, you may:
- Fail to deliver projects on time, within budget or to specification.
- Get embroiled in unnecessary conflicts and arguments that leave a nasty after-taste and have a negative impact on long-term relationships.
- Fail to convince stakeholders of a good idea, with the result that other less appropriate ideas are adopted. This can result in a loss of income, a failure to win contracts, or a poorer outcome for the recipients of the final project.
- Misunderstand the reasons behind a stakeholder's non-compliance or attitude.
I have heard stakeholders who disagree, being described in a dismissive way as "difficult" "obstructionist" or "stupid". This is not a display of high emotional intelligence. These kind of judgements can be made at times of exasperation or frustration when a stakeholder refuses to agree with your plans. However, it doesn't mean such judgements are true, it's just that when you are frustrated and feel as though you are banging your head against a brick wall you resort to this response: blaming and name calling. Instead of doing this, if you looked beneath the surface to the underlying emotions, you might find the real cause of the behaviour. This is the value of emotional intelligence.
If you then worked with these emotions then you may also find that your priorities move along more easily and smoothly. This is why emotional intelligence in leaders can affect the outcomes of stakeholder meetings and relationships.
Would you like to learn how to emotional profile your stakeholders and prepare, in advance, for the next meeting? (click here).
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About the Author:
Emília M. Ludovino, is the founder of the Emotional Intelligence Training – Ki Flow, Social & Emotional Intelligence Coach, Motivational Coach, Master Practitioner of NLP, Reiki Master/Teacher, a life-time practitioner of Mindfulness & Meditation and International Business Lawyer. Worked since the age of 20 building and managing teams in Africa, South America and Europe, mainly in NGOs, United Nations, training Politicians and Community Leaders, Empowering Entrepreneurs Law Enforcement, Law Firms and Top Executive Managers (Communications, Marketing, IT, Pharmaceutical, Private Banking, etc.).
Emília M. Ludovino, is the founder of the Emotional Intelligence Training – Ki Flow, Social & Emotional Intelligence Coach, Motivational Coach, Master Practitioner of NLP, Reiki Master/Teacher, a life-time practitioner of Mindfulness & Meditation and International Business Lawyer. Worked since the age of 20 building and managing teams in Africa, South America and Europe, mainly in NGOs, United Nations, training Politicians and Community Leaders, Empowering Entrepreneurs Law Enforcement, Law Firms and Top Executive Managers (Communications, Marketing, IT, Pharmaceutical, Private Banking, etc.).
