How to Build Emotionally Intelligent Teams: Vanessa Druskat's 9-Norm Framework

What if the secret to high-performing teams isn't hiring the smartest people, but creating the right environment? Vanessa Druskat, organizational psychologist and associate professor at the University of New Hampshire, reveals how emotionally intelligent teams outperform their competition through trust, collaboration, and psychological safety.

Vanessa's research identifies nine specific norms that separate top-performing teams from average ones, clustered into three powerful categories: individual focus, continuous learning, and external awareness.

In this episode, Vanessa shares real-world examples from Johnson & Johnson drug development teams, the Boston Bruins, and even crisis situations involving the FBI and CIA. She explains why stacking a team with emotionally intelligent individuals doesn't guarantee emotionally intelligent behavior, and how team norms—not personality traits—drive performance.

You'll discover practical diagnostic tools to assess your team's emotional intelligence, learn why diverse teams need these skills more than others, and understand how virtual teams can build the same powerful dynamics. Vanessa also tackles the Silicon Valley skepticism around "touchy-feely" team building and reveals how her book "The Emotionally Intelligent Team" offers a roadmap for transformation.

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Guy Kawasaki is on a mission to make you remarkable. His Remarkable People podcast features interviews with remarkable people such as Jane Goodall, Marc Benioff, Woz, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Bob Cialdini. Every episode will make you more remarkable.

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