Last but not least...
For the past month, I've been discussing emotional intelligence within a team, and this week, I will conclude by discussing how highly effective teams play "big" teams.
As a reminder, when I reference "big" teams, I am talking about how teams interact with other teams and the organization. In her book Team Emotional Intelligence 2.0, Dr. Greaves refers to it as external relationships and speaks to the many benefits of teams who have this dialed in. For example:
Teams who excel in their external relationships
Have a better understanding of the organization's bigger picture and how they fit in.
Are good at cross-functional collaboration and often spark innovative ideas and improve the work atmosphere
When this skill is not in place, teams live in a silo without genuinely understanding their impact on the greater organization.
Below are just a few strategies for helping your teams develop and fine-tune their interactions with other teams and the organization:
Have each team brainstorm how their work impacts others (other teams, administration, itinerants, etc.)
Identify those within each team who could be an ambassador (someone who tends to be outgoing and who knows a wide range of people across teams and various levels of the organization), a scout (someone who brings important outside knowledge back to the team from the relationships they build and the information they gather from conferences, new research, etc.) and a coordinator, (someone in constant communication with other teams and departments and who are skilled at recognizing the ripple effect your team's actions may have.
Share your expertise with other teams. Each team has strengths. Offer to support other teams in learning new skills and ask different teams to share theirs.
Celebrate bigger. Remember to recognize and celebrate those outside your team (i.e., clerical and janitorial staff) for their support in your achievements.
As you can see, emotional intelligence can make or break a team!