Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On ... - always yours

222 LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
this yields is an indication of how this person may function with
other members of the team.” This information about their Emotional
Intelligence, paired with their experience and their bids, has
allowed him to select the best teams. He has saved General Motors
hundreds of thousands of dollars and untold hours of confl icts and
headaches. Butterfield says, “Every project that goes wrong is usually
driven by mismatched expectations. That’s why this selection process
is so important.”
3. ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS
This is the heart and soul of development. If you don’t have
one-on-ones with your people, you are missing the primary tool for
moving your people from good to great.
Jim Snell is the president and COO of Shield Healthcare, Inc., a
national distributor of medical products. He has one-on-ones every
Tuesday with all of his direct reports. When asked about the value
and content of these meetings, he replies:
“The one-on-ones are a good opportunity for me to stay current
with what the department is working on and allow me to offer
suggestive input on the direction of significant initiatives. Often the
initiatives cross functional boundaries, and if I perceive inconsistencies
between departments I can suggest the managers get together
and do a reality check between them.
“We establish due dates, timelines, and significant events to
determine ‘go’ and ‘no go’ decisions. These conversations go a long
way in helping us learn about each other. They are essential to teambuilding
and creating meaningful long-term business relationships.”
Paul Collins is the Director of Client Services at Shield Healthcare,
Inc., and has reported to Jim Snell for almost nine years. In
that time he missed only a handful of Tuesday morning meetings
because of vacation, sickness, or out-of-town trips. “Jim is the one