What do you do if you're struggling to gauge your emotional intelligence growth as a Product Manager?

An effective way to self-reflect on your emotional intelligence as a Product Manager is to keep a detailed journal during stressful situations or conflicts. Here's how you can do it: 1) Note your feelings: Whenever a stressful situation arises, write down exactly how you feel. Be honest and specific. 2) Analyze the why: Dig deeper into why you felt that way. What triggered your emotions? What underlying issues or assumptions might be influencing your reaction? 3) Plan for improvement: Write down what you could do differently next time. This proactive step helps you build strategies for better emotional management in future situations.

Building self awareness is the first step to improvement / change across any aspect of our personal and professional life. Self awareness comes from reflection and digging deeper into why we said, did or thought what we did. This is not a one and done thing; rather it should just be something that is part of your daily routine.

Start with honest self-reflection. Identify your own emotions and how they influence your decisions and interactions at work. Practice self-control in challenging situations, aiming to better understand others' emotions and respond empathetically. Invest in developing non-verbal communication skills and active listening to enhance emotional understanding.

-Reflect honestly while interactions with team members and stakeholders, seeking feedback and areas for improvement. - Engage in self-assessment and journaling to identify patterns and progress in emotional intelligence journey. - Seek guidance from mentors or coaches, leveraging their expertise to refine emotional intelligence skills. - Embrace vulnerability, acknowledging areas where I need growth and actively working to develop emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is an invaluable tool for a successful product manager. As a PM is not a functional manager of the cross functional team and has to provide leadership through influencing, it is imperative to be able to follow the dynamics of the group, able to react with empathy with each of the individuals fear, uncertainty, doubts and be able to reasonably and rationally build relationships based on trust and understanding. It takes a balance of being vulnerable, seek regular feedback and passionate about the project to drive the team to success.

Actively seek input on how your emotions and reactions impact others. Listen attentively to understand their perspectives and feelings.

✨Set specific, measurable goals for improvement, such as active listening or conflict resolution. ✨Establish a growth plan with clear objectives and milestones, tracking progress and adjusting as needed. ✨Identify key stakeholders to provide feedback and hold me accountable for my emotional intelligence development. ✨Regularly assess and adjust my goals, ensuring alignment with personal and professional growth objectives.

Focus on areas such as self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and relationship management. Break down these goals into actionable steps, such as practicing mindfulness techniques, actively listening in conversations, or seeking mentorship for emotional growth.

Set aside daily moments for mindfulness practice, such as meditation or mindful breathing exercises. This helps increase your emotional awareness, allowing you to better recognize and understand your own emotions and responses.

Show empathy in interactions with customers and team members, manage stress effectively, and stay adaptable to change. By integrating these skills into your daily work, you will see gradual and noticeable improvement. In my own experience, I once faced a challenging project deadline that caused significant stress within the team. By actively listening to their concerns and providing support, I fostered a more collaborative environment. This approach not only helped manage the immediate stress but also improved my ability to empathize and adapt, enhancing my emotional intelligence over time.

You may consider taking personality tests to discover their strengths and weaknesses. One such scientific tool is the Big 5 personality test which gives useful insights into one's psyche. These tests help us understand our strengths, weaknesses, patterns and biases. We can become more aware of ourselves and how we deal with work and the people around us. With these insights, we can identify specific 'corrective' actions that we can take to nudge our personality in the direction WE want. The results of these tests stay consistent in the short run but can change in the long run through sustained effort, and can be used to gauge the growth of our emotional intelligence as a product manager.