Here's how you can improve team problem-solving abilities with emotional intelligence.

Try wearing a funny hat to work. Whenever someone complains about something, just point to your hat and wink at them. Repeat as necessary.

Encourage team members to develop self-awareness by recognizing their emotional states and understanding how these emotions influence their thoughts and behaviors. Mindfulness of one's emotional responses during problem-solving helps prevent emotions from clouding judgment. This self-awareness is crucial for fostering empathy, as it allows individuals to better understand and appreciate their teammates' perspectives. By enhancing self-awareness and empathy, you create a foundation for more effective teamwork and collaboration, ultimately leading to better problem-solving and decision-making within the group.

Here's how you can use emotional intelligence to boost team problem-solving: Self-awareness: Encourage team members to recognise and comprehend their own feelings. Empathy: Develop empathy in order to better comprehend and address colleagues' viewpoints. Promote active listening so that everyone feels heard and respected. Create a collaborative atmosphere in which different perspectives are respected. Conflict Resolution: Use emotional intelligence to navigate and resolve disagreements productively. Adaptability: Promote flexibility and openness to new solutions. Maintain open, constructive conversation to improve mutual understanding and trust.

Cultivar la conciencia emocional en el equipo es el primer paso hacia la mejora de las habilidades de resolución de problemas con inteligencia emocional. Si fomentas el autoconocimiento, el uso de diarios emocionales, la práctica de mindfulness, la retroalimentación 360° y la empatía, puedes crear un equipo más consciente, empático y efectivo en la resolución de problemas.

"El arte de la comunicación es el lenguaje del liderazgo" - James Humes Mejorar la comunicación en el equipo mediante la inteligencia emocional no solo facilita la resolución de problemas, sino que también fortalece las relaciones y la cohesión del equipo. Al incorporar habilidades de escucha activa, comunicación no verbal, expresión clara de emociones, feedback constante y técnicas de comunicación eficaz, puedes crear un entorno en el que todos los puntos de vista sean considerados y respetados, llevando a soluciones más creativas e innovadoras.

Here are the key points about enhancing communication in team problem-solving: Open Communication: Establish a culture where communication is transparent and inclusive. Emotional Intelligence: Encourage team members to express thoughts and feelings clearly while managing emotions effectively. Active Listening: Foster active listening skills to ensure every team member feels heard and valued. Respect for Different Viewpoints: Promote an environment where diverse perspectives are considered and respected. Innovative Solutions: By facilitating open communication and emotional intelligence, teams can generate more innovative solutions collaboratively.

Effective communication is important, listening first and then an appropriate response is needed. When responding, ensure you are addressing the topic and that it does not navigate else where.

If I notice a colleague is out of work due to health or person issues, I’ve dropped a message to take care of themselves and not worry about work. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to make a comfortable and healthy workspace, and to promote empathy within the team. It starts with one, and creates a ripple effect. The same colleagues have dropped me messages when I’ve been out of office for health reasons.

Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. it plays a crucial role in emotional intelligence, remember that empathy does not mean that you agree to other's point of view.

On a daily basis with our actions, body language, and recognition, we must create that safe and supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable and even encouraged to express their thoughts and emotions. We recently had a case where constructive feedback was shared by one of our sales team members and thanks to it, we had the opportunity to address it, speak openly on how we should have responded instead and how to revert the situation. The proposed action was implemented with a positive result winning the customer back. In my opinion, sharing these stories encourages people to be more aware of how much their feedback can impact and contribute to the growth of the company.

"La empatía es ver con los ojos de esa persona, escuchar con los oídos de esa persona y sentir con el corazón de esa persona" - Escucha Activa - Perspectiva Compartida - Reconocimiento Emocional - Comunicación Abierta y Transparente - Realiza Actos de Bondad y Reconocimiento

Imagine if something happens to one of the team members, and the other team members and the manager don't show empathy towards their pain. If they keep pushing that person for deadlines and such, it can be quite challenging for them. The work doesn't stop, but everyone needs to be empathetic and compassionate. Try to put yourself in their shoes and offer support.

Pon el Foco en los Problemas, No en las Personas: Mantén el enfoque en los problemas y no en las personas ayuda a evitar que los conflictos se personalicen. Durante la resolución de conflictos, guíe al equipo para que se centre en los problemas específicos en lugar de en las personalidades. Utilice técnicas de resolución de problemas, como el análisis de causas raíz, para identificar y abordar los problemas subyacentes sin culpar a los individuos.

Constructive feedback is important. Focus on what the problem is without the blame involved. The idea is to solve the conflict and move forward, learning from why it happened. When we understand and learn from this we can avoid future conflicts.

Disagreements are natural in teamwork. With the right approach, they can become opportunities for growth. Start by acknowledging an element of their viewpoint you agree with. Then, explain why you disagree with certain aspects, supporting your stance with data or experience. Actively listen to their viewpoint. If needed, seek an unbiased opinion from a senior member to reach an effective solution. Always prioritise being mindful and respectful in your communication.

El conflicto aparece con la diferencia entre dos partes ya sea por conflicto de intereses, valores, percepciones o necesidades. Es fundamental aceptar la diferencia y verla como una oportunidad para ver más allá de nuestras creencias, expandir nuestras perspectivas, fomentar el entendimiento mutuo y encontrar soluciones creativas y beneficiosas para tod@s. La gestión efectiva implica la interiorización de la comunicación no violenta que prioriza la empatía, la honestedad y el respeto mútuo para resolver conflictos de una forma pacífica y constructiva.

Building trust is an important factor whether it is friendship, business relationships or within a team. It is no use saying something when no actions are taken to align with what was said. Trust can be fragile and fluid but with the right action, it will take you far.

One aspect often overlooked is selecting the right team members, and by that I do not mean, the ones with the most experience, but those who fit and complement the rest of the team. Most of the time, if you give a person with the right soft skills the tools and the trust to do the work well, they will often overperform and contribute back to the team. From my modest experience finding and hiring people, the best teams are those integrated by a variety of personalities, skills and motivations, which are not necessarily all top performers in their areas, but bring other many necessary “items”, such as enthusiasm, humor (so much underestimated in our times), willingness to help others, or to go to events on behalf of the company, …

Another topic which I think could be added here and which is important to enhance teamwork is how well we are retaining that talent. The more valued you feel, the more you like to stay, but there’s obviously much more into talent retention. And I don’t really have much experience with it, so I would like to hear your feedback. We’ve implemented some company benefits such as sports, insurance, fruits, remote, … but I think those are almost basic needs every modern employee is looking for. So, what’s really really important when trying to retain talent?