Emotional Intelligence
© Can Stock Photo / edharcanstock
By / Jordan Whitehouse
What makes great employees? Chances are the first things that come to mind aren’t someone’s vast technical skills or advanced degree from a prestigious college. It’s likely people skills, capacity to communicate properly and listen, ability to empathize and be optimistic, and knack for building good relationships with others. Underpinning these soft skills is something called emotional intelligence (EI), or a person’s capacity to know, control, and express emotion, and to handle interpersonal relationships thoughtfully and empathetically. In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that people with high EI have greater mental health, job performance, and leadership skills. This is why an increasing number of unions and companies across the construction industry—including those in sheet metal—are focusing on identifying and improving their people’s EI. Understanding and cultivating EI may be just one more tool that labor and management can use to foster stronger working relationships. Brent Darnell is a leading authority on EI, particularly on its 12 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
use in the construction industry. He spoke at the 2020 Partners in Progress Conference where he challenged his audience to actively develop the EI to look beyond conflict and embrace the courage to change. He says that there are several advantages to focusing on EI as a way to develop people and solve industry problems, including how labor and management might work better together. “For one, since collaborative project delivery is now the norm, companies invest a lot of money in training soft skills, but rarely do they know if the training has been effective,” Darnell says. “Because EI can be reliably measured using several different instruments, the effectiveness of that training can also be measured.” Another reason it’s advantageous to focus on EI is that it may answer previously unanswered questions for individuals, he adds. “Whenever you see any behavioral issues in yourself or others, especially those related to relationships, communication, and how you present yourself to others, it will always show up in your EI profile,” Darnell says.
