HII Leaders Discuss Emotional Intelligence and Trust on D&I Panel
HII hosted a panel discussion on “Leading a Culture that Values Emotional Intelligence and Trust” on Feb. 12. Jeff Jackson, Mission Technologies’ senior director of talent development, talked about the importance of leaders “setting the weather.”
“We all have a strong impact on others in terms of how we view, perceive and respond to others in our interactions in the workplace,” Jackson said. “So whether we know or not, it’s good to have a way of understanding better what that means and how we can take steps to address it. … You set the tone for your team.”
Jackson also talked about how it’s human nature to “crave meaning and understanding” and that we are inclined to “tell ourselves a story” based on observations and workplace interactions.
“So how can we check ourselves to make sure we’re not jumping to assumptions before we understand what’s going on?” he asked. “That’s a golden nugget I’ve come back to time and time again. It’s called the ‘path to action.’ It’s part of the ‘Crucial Conversations’ training. It’s one simple tool I would recommend for individuals and team leaders to understand what drives a lot of our responses in the workplace and how we can check ourselves going forward.”
The Diversity and Inclusion Panel Series was curated by the D&I leads from across the HII enterprise. Mission Technologies’ lead is Miranda Williams.
Other panelists included Jeanne Callahan, corporate vice president of internal audit; Dr. Latitia McCane, director of The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding; and Denise Quave, director of engineering at Ingalls Shipbuilding.
A recording of the meeting is available on Newport News Shipbuilding’s Webex page. For more information on “path to action,” visit cruciallearning.com.
