In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss the importance of emotional intelligence for project managers, focusing on self-regulation and self-control. They define self-control as constraining behaviors within boundaries, while self-regulation involves deciding how to think, feel, and act appropriately. The discussion touches on the benefits of self-regulation, such as improved decision-making, initiative, stress management, adaptability, and conflict resolution. They highlight challenges like implicit biases and oversimplification of situations, and they emphasize the need for perseverance, mentorship, and continuous improvement. The episode underscores the interconnectedness of self-awareness, self-regulation, and the drive to achieve, concluding with the idea that project managers should aim to be better than their past selves rather than competing with others.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader will be more successful in his or her endeavors by continued improvement in the area of emotional intelligence. While self-awareness is an absolute necessity, self-control/self-regulation must follow:

• some benefits – better decision-making, initiative, stress management, handling conflicts, adaptability
• some challenges – implicit biases, oversimplification of situations, slowness in mastering self-control, project stresses/fatigue
• positivity in transparency, integrity of word and deed, adaptability, initiative, self-confidence, and motivation to achieve

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Emotionally Agile Project Manager – The Critical Importance of Self-Control and Self-Regulation

00:54 Self-control/self-regulation follows self-awareness in the quest for a stronger emotional intelligence.

01:09 A working definition of what the hosts mean by self-control and self-regulation.

02:57 Reviewing some benefits of self-regulation in project management:

03:13      - better decision-making and more thoughtfulness

03:39      - the taking of initiative

04:04      - better stress management

05:14      - better handling of conflict situations

05:34      - adaptability

06:36 Reviewing some obstacles to developing a more effective self-regulation:

06:50      - implicit biases

07:01      - oversimplification of situations you find yourself in

07:31      - apparent slowness in mastering self-control

09:33      - project stresses and the resulting fatigue

12:20 Integrating self-regulation with other traits such as transparency, integrity of word and deed, adaptability, initiative, self-confidence, and motivation to achieve.

18:32 You’re not competing against others, only against who you were yesterday and against giving up – hallmarks of self-awareness and self-control.