CHAPTER 5: CREATING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENT ORGANIZATIONS

Question 1

The goal is to create a _______ culture that will help you earn “raving fans” in the form of both customers and employees.

Answer 1

dynamic

Question 2

Building a winning culture takes empathy, adaptability, a ______ ______, and belief in people. When you express these qualities as a leader, employees will show you the drive and motivation it takes to build and maintain a collaborative, cohesive environment.

Answer 2

positive outlook

Question 3

CULTURE:

Culture is the _______ of any organization

Answer 3

lifeblood

Question 4

CULTURE:

As famous management consultant Peter Drucker once said, “Culture eats ______ for breakfast.”

Answer 4

strategy

Question 5

CULTURE:

With chief people officer Kathleen Hogan, he started a _______ effort to change the culture. Nadella excelled by recognizing that he needed to change things in the present while using his vision, intuition, and business acumen to build a more self-aware workforce for the future. “The reason I talk about empathy is that I believe this is the leading indicator of success.

Answer 5

grassroots

Question 6

PEOPLE FIRST:

John Paul DeJoria has had very minimal turnover at his company over the years—less than ___ employees in nearly 40 years. He accomplished this by treating his employees with love and kindness. As he said, “If a business wants to stay in business, it cannot just think of today’s bottom line, it must make a company commitment to help others immediately.

Answer 6

100

Question 7

Camaraderie and Celebration

A fascinating analysis from Harvard Business Review details Dr. Emma Seppälä’s findings about workplace _______ and productivity: “A positive work climate also leads to a positive workplace culture which, again, boosts commitment, engagement, and performance.

Answer 7

happiness

Question 8

Camaraderie and Celebration

Finally, Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick, authors of The Carrot Principle and All In, point out the importance of celebrating in a team environment. The benefits of camaraderie and encouragement are currency that go a long way toward engendering a culture of togetherness and optimism.

Question 9

Camaraderie and Celebration

No matter where you’re trying to go as an emotionally intelligent leader, remember to heed the African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, __________.” Think of that when you consider the culture you aim to mold and form for your team and company.

Answer 9

go together

Question 10

CULTURE EXERCISE:

CALLING THE SHOTS

The goal here is to stretch your creative thinking. This exercise will improve your preparation and holistic thinking toward inclusiveness. You just received a promotion! Congratulations! You’re the new vice president tasked with leading multiple business units at your organization. The first item of business is to address 100 employees in the upcoming monthly All Hands meeting. Your employees expect you to provide _______ direction, but also want to learn your vision for the organization’s culture. Morale is low and numerous director-level employees have recently left. How will you reshape the culture to turn things around? Write your plans in three to five sentences.

Answer 10

strategic

Question 11

Culture Exercise:
Culture in Action Who has modeled the attributes of emotionally intelligent leadership that you’ve admired in your career? What type of impact did they have on the organization? Revisit each of your career stops. If you’ve only been with one organization, think of the leaders you’ve encountered. You may also use examples of leaders you’ve observed from a distance. What did they do well (or not well!) in each of the following five areas?

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Motivation
• Empathy
• ________

Answer 11

Social skills

Question 12

On Diversity:

In 2020, emotionally intelligent leaders have an open mind and prominently include diversity and inclusion as part of their organizational vision. Long gone are the days of ________ the needs of employees who ask for help.

Answer 12

neglecting

Question 13

On Diversity:

As described by leaders from the Emotional Intelligence and Diversity Institute, “creating an emotionally intelligent work environment involves creating a balance between having shared organizational values and honoring individual _______.” This balance takes time to achieve, like any desired cultural change, and is brought about through programs and forums where employees can openly share their individual uniqueness.

Answer 13

uniqueness

Question 14

On Diversity:

A strong culture engenders an environment that values ________ and authenticity, while eschewing limitations that prevent this from taking root.

Answer 14

creativity

Question 15

ON DIVERSITY

CEO Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder of Care.com (whose story you’ll learn more about in this chapter), has said that diversity “improves productivity, performance and stock price in the long term. Diversity proves that things can be better. Own the _________, and then they are absolutely strengths.”

Answer 15

differences

Question 16

ON DIVERSITY

Along the way, she’s served as a role model for every woman of color to never accept the status quo, but instead to dream _______ and bolder.

Answer 16

bigger

Question 17

ON DIVERSITY

According to scholars at the Emotional Literacy Foundation, “The model of emotional intelligence and diversity (EID) . . . encompasses the ability to
1) feel,
2) understand,
3) articulate,
4) manage, and
5) apply the power of emotions to interactions ______ ______ of difference.

Answer 17

across lines

Question 18

REALITY VS. VISION:

We’re going to focus on four phases of turning your vision into reality. We’ll start with the basics, and what better place to begin than creating your vision for the direction you want to lead?

1) Establish the basics that determine your desired standard.

2) Focus on your people.

3) Communicate, communicate, communicate!

4) Develop a constantly self-improving and innovating mind set and approach.

Call this your “Blueprint for an Emotionally Intelligent Organization” and think deeply about how you can apply this today.

Question 19

REALITY VS. VISION:

We’re going to focus on four phases of turning your vision into reality. We’ll start with the basics, and what better place to begin than creating your vision for the direction you want to lead?

1) Establish the basics that determine your desired standard.
•
• Purpose
• Mission
• Core values

Answer 19

vision

Question 20

REALITY VS. VISION:

We’re going to focus on four phases of turning your vision into reality. We’ll start with the basics, and what better place to begin than creating your vision for the direction you want to lead?

2) Focus on your people.

• Identify what makes you unique and what your strategic goals are
• Model this behavior and influence your employees to adopt it
• Establish what you desire for your people—their personal and professional development
• Create an environment of diversity, _________, and belonging that shows you care
• Provide open, candid forums for feedback and partnership with all levels of employees

Answer 20

inclusiveness

Question 21

REALITY VS. VISION:

We’re going to focus on four phases of turning your vision into reality. We’ll start with the basics, and what better place to begin than creating your vision for the direction you want to lead?

3) Communicate, communicate, communicate!

• Make sure expectations are clear and understood
• Tie your strategic goals and desired results back to your core values, vision, purpose, and mission, and make sure you gain alignment organization-wide
• Create key performance indicators for business units
• Communicate ______ _______ objectives for each individual and ensure that managers and leaders have regular check-ins on personal and professional development with employees

Answer 21

performance indicators

Question 22

REALITY VS. VISION:

We’re going to focus on four phases of turning your vision into reality. We’ll start with the basics, and what better place to begin than creating your vision for the direction you want to lead?

4) Develop a constantly self-improving and innovating mind-set and approach.

• ________ and reflection at the core of each step
• How can we do things better?
• Celebrate the wins!

Call this your “Blueprint for an Emotionally Intelligent Organization” and think deeply about how you can apply this today.

Answer 22

Evaluation

Question 23

REALITY VS. VISION:

Professionals look to the present and future with ________ by keeping an open mind and communicating expectations with empathy and thoughtfulness.

Answer 23

equanimity

Question 24

REALITY VS. VISION

Turning a vision into reality begins with getting those you lead to ______ the behavioral changes you want to see. Express your vision for the future and gain buy-in by sharing other examples of success, or times you’ve achieved success in similar situations. Get firm on your basics. Gather input from the organization and make this an inclusive process. Make your decision based on input from these sources, and then use the best information at hand to determine culture and strategic direction.

Answer 24

adopt

Question 25

Change Task Force:

Identify a list of 5 to 10 “champions” you have met or developed a relationship with throughout the organization. Create a Change Task Force of these individuals who can _____ your message and become multipliers throughout the organization. The most important thing is to find people you trust, that you’ve formed authentic relationships with, and who truly believe in you and your message.

Set up regular meetings with this task force and ask for their input throughout the effort. Create a communications strategy they can execute throughout the organization to ensure success.

Answer 25

amplify

Question 26

ONE-PAGE PLAN

Put together a one-page plan of your vision for the things that need to be improved in your organization, business unit, or across your team. Explain how you plan to address these issues by incorporating an emotionally intelligent approach. Be succinct. Break it down into these areas:

•
• Process
• Culture

What thoughts come to mind as you reflect upon what you’ve written?

Answer 26

strategy

Question 27

CHANGE CONTROL

This exercise provides clarity around where it is best to spend your time. For your change effort, organize topics into these three categories:

• Things you can control
• Things you can _______
• Things you cannot control

The things you can control will likely seem obvious to you. For example, you can control the frequency of and methods with which you communicate to the organization. However, the power of this exercise is to recognize what you can influence and what you cannot control. You can influence the champions and team leads around you by encouraging and supporting them. This is where empathy and social skill come in. You cannot control whether an individual user takes action, but you can do your best to set them up for success and have regular check-ins. Understand these three, and you will know where to focus your time, energy, and resources.

Answer 27

influence

Question 28

VISION TO REALITY

Norm Sabapathy, EVP of People at Cadillac Fairview, said, “It doesn’t happen overnight. It really depends on assessing the true _____ between the culture you have and the culture you need to have.”

Answer 28

GAP

Question 29

VISION TO REALITY

The ______ of change is understanding just how much actually needs to be changed, strategically and tactically. Sometimes this cultural change will enhance productivity and, ultimately, reputation.

Answer 29

nuance

Question 30

VISION TO REALITY:

Few examples of change are more remarkable than the joint auto plant that General Motors (GM) and Toyota shared in Fremont, California, New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., more well known as NUMMI. It’s the story of how Toyota’s production system was implemented and embraced by GM, with dazzling results. The venture began in _____ and lasted until 2010 and epitomized lean manufacturing. American employees in Fremont, California, wholeheartedly embraced the Toyota system that highly values each employee, giving them a sense of job security, self-confidence, and respect. The system motivates, empathizes, and breeds connection. It’s a fascinating study in how a proven vision became reality in an environment where it didn’t seem possible.

Answer 30

1984

Question 31

VISION TO REALITY:

Another brilliant example of cultural turnaround comes from Anne Mulcahy, a pioneer of leadership during her nearly eight years at the helm of _______. She dramatically turned around the fortunes of an organization that was on the precipice of disaster. Xerox went from a household name in printing for nearly 100 years to facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Mulcahy had been at Xerox for 25 years and had built great relationships. She had an honest, grassroots vision for the company that she turned into reality by leading from the heart and communicating across the organization.

Answer 31

Xerox

Question 32

VISION TO REALITY:

One unconventional way she helped turn her vision into reality was by crafting a _______ Wall Street Journal article that was a blueprint for the future of what Xerox wanted to achieve. She included things like performance metrics and major goals, soliciting the feedback of many employees who knew what had previously made the organization great.

Answer 32

fictitious

Question 33

VISION TO REALITY:

Extraordinary leaders like Anne Mulcahy know that in order to turn a vision into reality, you leave no stone _______.

Answer 33

unturned

Question 34

OBSTACLES:

One of the first obstacles every leader faces is ________ to change. Ingrained in the culture of almost every organization is an attitude that—in some way, shape, or form—is resistant to change. It may not be acknowledged, and employees may not be aware of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Answer 34

resistance

Question 35

OBSTACLES:

The culture of one of the world’s largest, most successful companies is so admired there have been books written about it—The Apple Way among them.

Answer 35

Steve Jobs made sure the company was always evolving, inventing, and changing the way the public consumed technology products.

Question 36

OVERCOMING OURSELVES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT:

Emotionally intelligent leaders overcome obstacles by recognizing their _____ is about something bigger than themselves.

Answer 36

mission

Question 37

OVERCOMING OURSELVES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT:

Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder and CEO of ________, leads an enormously successful company and has also helped female entrepreneurs and empowered women by launching Womenup.org and Landit.com. Her success is astounding, and yet we may remember her most for the tremendous obstacles she overcame to simply have a seat at the table that has long been dominated by men.

Answer 37

Care.com

Question 38

OVERCOMING OURSELVES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT:

By putting ______ front and center, and acknowledging that these obstacles must be overcome, leaders like Sheila Lirio Marcelo help women everywhere reclaim their self-worth.

Answer 38

diversity

Question 39

THE WILL TO CHANGE:

We’ve seen that a __________ to change can be the process—the “business as usual” way of doing things.

Answer 39

major obstacle

Question 40

THE WILL TO CHANGE:

An important reason people can become obstacles is linked to motivation. Psychologist Frederick Herzberg’s “___________” shows that while some workplace factors cause job satisfaction, others cause dissatisfaction.

Answer 40

“two-factor theory”

Question 41

THE WILL TO CHANGE:

Motivating factors that can cause satisfaction, for example, are things like ________, reward, an opportunity to truly make a difference, and empowerment for decision-making that leads to tangible, positive results.

Answer 41

recognition

Question 42

THE WILL TO CHANGE:

This leads to a resistance to change that contributes to an overall culture that doesn’t want change. This means that one of the biggest obstacles to change is often misconstrued. It’s not accurate to simply say, “It’s the people.” It’s often the process by which information is _________, thus making it a leadership problem.

Answer 42

disseminated

Question 43

THE WILL TO CHANGE:

As New York Times bestselling author Mark Murphy points out, it’s usually _________ who are more willing to change, whereas frontline employees are less likely: “The data is pretty clear that frontline employees are going to be less excited by change than top executives.

Answer 43

executives

Question 44

THE WILL TO CHANGE:

When you don’t involve everyone and only concern _______ with people at the top, the result can easily be a major obstacle to change.

Answer 44

yourself

Question 45

THE WILL TO CHANGE:

I’ve developed four criteria to focus on as an emotionally intelligent leader to avoid ________ that stand in the way of successfully leading your organization:

1) First, stop making excuses.

2) Second, take initiative.

3) Third, remember that “the buck stops here”

4) Finally, celebrate the victories!

Answer 45

obstacles

Question 46

1) First, stop making excuses.

Acknowledge obstacles for what they are. This begins with what we ____ ourselves. Acknowledge inherent biases for what they are, address them, and become a champion for changing things that stand in the way of you and your employees’ success. Speak positively. Tell yourself you can do it, and then tell others. Commit and figure out how.

Answer 46

tell

Question 47

2) Second, take initiative!

You may assume your employees won’t want to change, but how will you really know until you try? Adopt the Anne Mulcahy playbook and ramp up your “boots on the ground” strategy. Get out ______ of things, communicate, empathize, influence, and take those inputs to inform your decision-making.

Answer 47

infront

Question 48

3) Third, remember that “the buck stops here.” President __________ popularized this phrase, and it’s one that every emotionally intelligent leader should heed. For our purposes, this is all about the self-management side of emotional intelligence: OWN IT. Don’t pass the buck. Be visible. Let people know you’re in charge. Couple this with humility and courage and you’ll earn everyone’s respect.

Answer 48

Harry S. Truman

Question 49

4) Finally, celebrate the victories! ______ in the successes along the way. Bring people together by making it about the team.

Answer 49

Share

Question 50

IDENTIFY THE CHALLENGES:

Identify the top challenges you face, either in a new change effort or as you reshape your organization to be more emotionally intelligent. Group these challenges into the following categories:

• Leadership
•
• Communication
• Technology
• Resources

The best thing a leader can do is provide clarity for his or her employees. By understanding the challenges, you can assess what needs to be incorporated in your change management plan so you can address and resolve them.

Answer 50

PROCESS

Question 51

Town Hall Discussion

Organize a town hall discussion of diverse professionals representing different races, ethnicities, genders, and religions. Create the structure for a one-hour forum where you ask employees to speak about the obstacles they’ve faced and the current challenges they find in their roles. Choose a facilitator, set a time limit of one to two minutes for each speaker, and provide opportunities for follow-up questions. Ask each employee to conclude with solutions to help make their path and career at the company better. The goal is to walk away with ______ strategic recommendations to implement to help support your diverse workforce.

Answer 51

actionable

Question 52

Obstacles Checklist

Use this checklist as a reference to identify and address obstacles to executing your strategy:

☐ Employees resistant to change
☐ Culture unwilling to adapt
☐ Scope of change effort is not clear
☐ _______of new technology that employees don’t understand
☐ Little to no communication
☐ Lack of buy-in from frontline managers
☐ Employees don’t understand “why” or benefits
☐ Poor (or lack of) governance structure
☐ Change Task Force or leadership team not in place (or not visible)
☐ Overall frustration on length of time and scope
☐ Political factions
☐ Fear of job loss/layoffs

Answer 52

Adoption

Question 53

TAKEAWAYS:

When it comes to how you choose to lead, one adage is certain: Don’t let yourself _______ the obstacle. Look inward and make sure your leadership is not serving as an impediment.

Answer 53

become

Question 54

TAKEAWAYS:

For leaders, the _____ components of successful change are motivation and social skill, along with empathy and self-awareness.

Answer 54

core

Question 55

TAKEAWAYS:

Are the biggest obstacles people or process? It’s a _________, though more often the process is the obstacle. Most employees genuinely seek to support the greater good of the organization.

Answer 55

bit of both