What does it take to build a team that consistently performs at a high level? In this episode, Kevin sits down with Dr. Vanessa Druskat to explore what emotionally intelligent teams look like and how leaders can foster them. Vanessa introduces the concept of "team emotional intelligence" and explains why team culture, not just individual skills or personalities, is often the key differentiator between average and high-performing teams. She shares her practical three-part model, based on nine team norms, that top teams use to create environments of trust, psychological safety, and accountability. Vanessa also discusses why emotionally intelligent teams are fundamentally about how people interact, not just how they feel. She reveals what leaders should do in the first meeting of a new team to set the tone for long-term performance, and why nonverbal behaviors and small habits matter more than you think.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction to emotional intelligence and teams 00:29 Welcome and how to join future live sessions 01:02 How to connect with the community 01:25 About the book Flexible Leadership 02:11 Introducing guest Vanessa Druskat 03:09 Vanessa's early experiences with teams 04:09 Workplace realities that shaped her research 05:08 Growing up across cultures and learning to adapt 06:17 Discovering team cultures in organizations 07:20 What sets high performing teams apart 08:07 Exploring the model of team emotional intelligence 09:11 Understanding local team culture 10:04 The role leaders play in shaping micro culture 11:05 How teams can build their own culture 11:56 Why belonging and social needs matter 12:18 Teams as emotional systems 13:14 How emotions influence interactions 14:08 Creating cultures where disagreement is productive 15:17 The three clusters of team emotional intelligence 16:02 Helping individuals succeed 17:13 How great teams interact and improve 18:02 Reaching outside the team for ideas and resources 18:10 Where leaders should start with new teams 19:05 Setting norms intentionally 20:07 Why posted norms fail 21:00 Ownership and mutual understanding 21:21 Ensuring everyone has a voice 22:12 Assessing current norms 23:22 Impact of unintentional nonverbal signals 24:54 How small behaviors change team dynamics 25:53 Example of a team transformation 27:31 Importance of nonverbal cues and inclusion 28:07 Reaching outside the team and avoiding blinders 30:10 Leading in hybrid and remote environments 31:05 Belonging and psychological distance 32:03 Increasing intentional connection 32:50 Using check ins to strengthen relationships 34:04 Applying this in one-on-one conversations 34:27 What Vanessa does for fun 35:33 What Vanessa is reading 37:43 Where to find Vanessa and her resources 38:54 Closing challenge: What action will you take 40:05 Wrap up and invitation to subscribe

Vanessa's Story: Dr. Vanessa Druskat is the author of The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest. She is an award-winning researcher and leading expert on team leadership, advising leaders in some of the world's top organizations. Her three decades of field research examining team cultures that inspire high-performing collaboration produced the Team Emotional Intelligence (Team EI) model. She and her colleagues have used the model globally to teach leaders how to build higher-performing teams. Vanessa is passionate about convincing leaders that under the right conditions, people are wired for collaborative teamwork. So, stop trying to fix people and start building emotionally intelligent team cultures that inspire teamwork. Also, an award-winning teacher, she serves on the faculty of the University of New Hampshire's Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

This Episode is brought to you by...

Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.

Book Recommendations

• The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest by Vanessa Urch Druskat
• Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect by Matthew D. Lieberman
• Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems by Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis

Like this?

• Understanding Collaboration with Carlos Valdes-Dapena
• Building Incredible Collaborative Relationships with Dr. Deb Mashek

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