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How to avoid being an elephant in a china shop in the management of construction projects

How to avoid being an elephant in a china shop in the management of construction projects
The expression “a bull in a china shop”is a metaphor for someone who breaks things, makes mistakes or causes damage in situations that require careful thinking or behavior. Imagine an bull leisurely strolling along a row of a china shop: it barely fits in the aisle, and with every step plates and dishes fall to the floor. Ignoring the destruction left behind, he looks around to see what all this commotion is about, and at the same time his bobbing head pulls out another row of porcelain. Priceless, irreparable damage in a few minutes.
This is exactly what happens when the practice of using emotional intelligence is not included in the work.
Imagine a construction site of 500-1000 people at the peak of work, deadlines are tight, quality is deteriorating, alterations after  deffects, contractors do not receive payment, and at this time a very large number of conflict situations occur where people switch to personalities using a kilometer-long mat in various languages. What do you think is the EQ level of these people?
Working on a construction site is not only hard physical labor, but also a struggle for emotional survival until the end of the working day or until the completion of the project. One of the important responsibilities of a construction project management company is managing all stakeholders and managing communications.   
In this situation, a significant part of the project manager's working time (up to 90%) according to PMBoK PMI is spent on communication among all participants in project management in construction.

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, control and express one's emotions, as well as to manage interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathically. The term was coined in the 1990s by psychologist and writer Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It May Matter More Than IQ.
IQ (intelligence quotient) corresponds to the use of the brain and its skills. On the other hand, EQ (emotional coefficient) is the awareness of one's own feelings along with the feelings of others, and then the formation of how people react and interact with each other. They say that IQ will help you in school, and EQ will help you in life.
The ability to build constructive interaction within the working group, with customers and contractors is the key to achieving the goal of the construction project. Many people make ill-considered decisions and actions depending on the emotions they are experiencing at one time or another. Therefore, managing your emotions is as important an aspect as project management in construction by a professional company.
Take the Emotional Intelligence Test (EQ test)
1. Do you regard negative emotions as a way to understand whether something needs to change in your life?
A) We learn at all stages of life.
B) Yes, because life is so multifaceted.
C) Why think about something bad? I try to forget about everything right away!

2. Can you summon a whole range of positive emotions (laughter, joy, satisfaction) at the right moment?
A) Yes, I always try to do this, even if my heart is not sweet at all.
B) Unfortunately, it is not always possible even to "portray" a good mood.
C) And why? All this has nothing to do with sincerity.

3. Do you get hung up on your negative emotions?
A) It happens that you can't forget about your experiences for a long time.
B) I try to "switch" to something good faster.
C) Sometimes I worry about what happened for a long time.

4. Do you understand the emotions of your interlocutor well, even if he does not express them openly?
A) Of course. I understand.
B) It does not always work out, because he behaves quite restrained.
C) I don't know how to "read the face".

5. Do you manage to improve the mood of the interlocutor, if the situation requires it?
A) Of course, I know the interlocutor.
B) It's a pity, but my tricks don't always work.
C) Probably not, I'm not good at it.

6. Do you manage to restrain emotions when you have to feel pressure from the outside?
A) Yes, I am good at keeping myself in hand.
B) Once at a time is not necessary, depends on the situation.
C) Rarely, when it turns out to cope with feelings. They usually get the better of me.

7. Do you know how to tune in to the emotions of your interlocutor?
A) We are usually on the same wavelength.
B) Not always, but it happens that it turns out.
C) For a person who does not know how to control his emotions, it is quite difficult.

8. Are you able to listen to your interlocutor's problems?
A) Yes, I always have time for this.
B) If he has problems, I will always listen to him.
C) He can handle it himself. But if necessary, I will always help him.

9. How quickly can you cope with your feelings at a time when something has upset you?
A) I almost immediately switch to some more important things.
B) Like many, I need some time.
C) Sometimes I come to myself for a long time. It seems normal to me.

10. Do you manage to approach life problems creatively?
A) Yes, it's easier to cope with them this way.
B) It doesn't always work out, but I strive for it.
C) I don't understand how problems can be solved creatively?

Result
More answers A:
You are able to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding around yourself, easily understand the feelings and emotions of other people, while controlling your emotions and not giving free rein to feelings. You are a great example of stable emotional intelligence.



More answers B:
Quite often you have to "control yourself", but you are aware of what you feel at any given moment. When your emotions get the better of you, your family understands that you are at the limit. It is better not to blame yourself, but try to rest more often and devote time to yourself and your desires.



More answers In:
You have a rather low level of emotional intelligence, which can affect your relationships with people around you and, in principle, in the family and at work. Sometimes this manifests itself in serious conflicts or difficulties in communication. You definitely need to learn how to recognize your emotions and manage them.

We provide a real case: according to the schedule, your contractor was supposed to finish all the work tomorrow, after which the team takes over with subsequent work on the object. The deadlines for completion and start of work by teams are strictly interdependent and tied to the final deadlines. Reports up until yesterday showed that all work is on schedule without delays and problems. But on the eve of the delivery of the object, it turned out that due to the lack of delivery of building materials, the completion date was postponed for almost two weeks!
The classic option is to "hit", threaten with penalties and express everything you think about the foreman, the workers and their professionalism. But, it is important to approach the situation constructively here. To understand why the prerequisites for the failure of deadlines were not identified in a timely manner. On the basis of which data positive reports were submitted, whether it was an outright concealment of facts or unforeseen circumstances took place. The ability of objective and unbiased analysis of the problem allows you to identify the triggers of periodically recurring dangerous situations. In this case, forecasting tools and analysis of project management in construction will help you quickly find a solution.
And the ability to refrain from accusations and rudeness will allow us to constructively build the negotiation process and find ways to mobilize to complete the work without significant delays. We invite you to our trainings on project management in construction https://acpm.tech/training . You will learn how to manage interaction with all participants of a construction project, manage construction projects directly, and manage risks in construction.
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