Emotional Intelligence Principles

For Business Analysts

Stephen Wagner

Before we start…

• This session should (hopefully) be a dialog

– Agree with my arguments? Disagree?

– Do the points make sense?

– Are there any examples you have come across?

– What does this mean to you?

Agenda• Speaker Background

• How is Emotional Intelligence relevant for BAs

• Review of Emotional Intelligence

• Role of EI in Projects

• Best Practices & Techniques

Stephen Wagner Background

• Consultant with Cardinal Solutions Group

– Currently at Vantiv as Scrum Master

• Worked at P&G/Gillette 14 years

– Relocated to OH from Massachusetts in 2007

• Attorney for 10 years before switching to

IT as programmer

How is EI Relevant for BA’s ?• Powerful tool BA can use in variety of

projects– Traditional/Waterfall

– Agile & Scrum

• BA role well suited for applying EI principles– BA interacts with Project Manager, Developers,

QA, UX roles in project

• Projects bring out strong emotions– Outsourcing

– Replacing legacy systems

– Deadlines

Review of

Emotional Intelligence

Review of EI

• History

• Term first used in PhD thesis in 1985 by Wayne Payne

• Popularized by Daniel Goleman• First Book – Emotional Intelligence (1995)

• Harvard Business Review Article “What Makes a Leader” (1998)

• Since then huge amount of books and articles (10,000+ hits in Amazon search)

Review of EI cont.

• What is EI?

• Science behind EI

• How is the brain “wired” – Amygdala (ah-mig-da-la)

• Fight or Flight – Physical survival in primitive world

• Limbic System – Governs feelings, impulses,

drives – Learns best through motivation

Review of EI cont.

• Five Key Domains Emotional Intelligence

Self Awareness Empathy

Self Management Social Skills

Motivation

Self Awareness

• Ability to recognize and monitor one’s

internal states, preferences, & feelings

• Hallmarks (4)

– Emotional Awareness

– Accurate self assessment

– Self confidence

– Self-deprecating sense

of humor

Self Awareness cont.

• Tools for Self Awareness

– Personality tests – Myers Briggs, DISC,

Birkman, etc.

– Reflection & review – recognize what

circumstances bring out best & worst of you

– 360° assessment to reveal blind spots

Self Awareness cont.

• Example

– BA knows working under pressure brings out

the worst in her

– Response?

• Manages time & open tasks well

• Gets needed data quickly

• Keeps track of commitments

Self Management

• Managing internal states – avoiding

disrupting impulses & moods

• Think before acting

• Like an ongoing inner conversation

• Hallmarks (4):

– Self control

– Trustworthiness

– Adaptability

– Open to new Ideas

Self Management cont.

• Tools for Self Management

– Use reflection and thoughtfulness often

– Develop comfort with ambiguity

– Always be open to novel ideas & approaches

Self Management cont.

• Example:

• Java Developer informed position is being

outsourced to offshore vendor

• Response?

– Takes active role in documenting code

– Looks for opportunities to lead team

– Learns new Knowledge

Mgt. system

Empathy

• Ability & skill in understanding emotional

makeup of others

• Hallmarks (3)

– Cultural sensitivity & understanding

– Expertise in building relationships

– Service orientation

Empathy cont.

• Tools for Empathy

– Gain knowledge of cultures & norms

• example – know news & major events of offshore

teams’ home country - India Cricket team

– Practice service orientation

– Seek opportunities to leverage diversity

Empathy cont.

• Example

– Product launch demo suffers major outage.

Problem traced to bug missed in testing by

offshore QA team.

– Response?

• Empowers testing team to raise “No Go” anytime &

without pressure from stakeholders

• Gets budget approved for

latest defect mgt. software

Social Skills

• Proficiency in managing relationships,

building rapport & finding common ground

• Hallmarks (3):

– Effective Change Leader

– Collaboration & cooperation

– Leadership & Team Building

Social Skills cont.

• Tools for Social Skills

– Negotiation skills –

• “Getting to Yes”

• Conflict management

– Clear & unambiguous emails & other

communication

– Always “Take the high road”

Social Skills cont.

• Example:

• BA takes time to visit users frustrated with

accounting system

• Response? – Provides work-arounds & documents a new user

guide

– Volunteers to be on call off-hours during monthly

financial close

Motivation

• What is it? - Pursuing goals with energy

and persistence

• Hallmarks (3)

– Optimism in face of failure

– Strong drive for achievement

– Commitment to project vision & goals

Motivation cont.

• Tools

– Metrics & progress tracking often promotes action

– Practice “Sharpening the saw” (Covey)

– Self Knowledge: “motivators” & “de-motivators”

Motivation cont.

• Example:

– Product Owner wants to employ “sense of

urgency” in project.

– Response?

• Take aggressive steps to be ahead of issues instead of

catching up

• Always have burn down charts available (metrics) and

product backlog

groomed & prioritized

Role of Emotional Intelligence

in Business Analysis

Role of EI

• 6 Underlying Competencies BABOK

– Analytical Thinking & Problem Solving

– Behavioral Characteristics

– Business Knowledge

– Communication Skills

– Interaction Skills

– Software Applications

EI is an enabler for 5 of 6 competencies

From Chapter 8 BABOK v.2

Role of EI cont.

• Elements of effective Business Analyst

– Good “emotional radar”

– Unambiguous communication

– Ability to deal with wide range of personality

types

– Build & maintain relationships

Do you think EI is a key part of above list?

What other Elements?

Role of EI cont.

• Fundamentals of great Project Manager

– Quality engagement of stakeholders

– Understands customers

– Maintain healthy relationships with Team

Does EI contribute to above?

Role of EI cont

• Key Enablers for Effective

Team Members

– Ability to collaborate with high quality

– Capability to learn from peers

– Constructive in criticism of themselves & others

– Capacity to trust other team members

Agree that EI strongly contributes to above?

Best Practices

and Techniques

Best Practices & Techniques

• Develop EI Action Plan

– Choose 1 Domain you are good at

• Review reasons for success

• Find what actions could make it outstanding

Best Practices & Techniques cont.

• Develop EI Action Plan

– Choose 1 Domain with potential to be good at

• Action plan to address

• Enlist trusted co-worker/mentor to discuss & plan

• Regular check on progress

Best Practices & Techniques cont.

• Goal Setting Tips

– Goals should build strengths

– Goals must be your own, not someone else’s

– Plans must be flexible & feasible – with

manageable steps

– Plans must fit your learning style

Best Practices & Techniques cont.

• Trad. & Agile Project Teams

– Educate other Team members on EI principles

• Lunch & Learns

– Network with other teams interested in EI

– Work with Scrum Masters - Use EI concepts

in retrospectives

• Adapt retrospective games to include EI

– EI is great tool for successful relationships

with users & stakeholders

Scenarios EI works well

• Conflict within Project team

• Stakeholder/Sponsor Relationships

• Demanding and stressed out Users

Conclusion

• EI works well for BA Role

• 5 Domains of EI gives BA excellent tools

• EI is enabler for BABOK competencies

• Common Scenarios are improved with EI

Practices & Techniques

Further Information

• EI books & articles

Daniel Goleman

– Working with Emotional Intelligence – Covers

EI in workplace

– Primal Leadership – EI and effective

leadership practices

– Google search uncovers

many articles and blogs

Questions?