Career Contessa Why Smart Teams Still Fail
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Feb 10, 2026 Dr. Vanessa Druskat, associate professor and leadership expert on team performance and emotional intelligence. She explains why team norms matter more than individual talent. Short, concrete examples show how small changes like eye contact and check-ins boost respect and results. Learn quick routines to assess, change, and lock in emotionally intelligent team behaviors.
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Team Emotional Intelligence Is Situational
- Team behavior is driven by shared norms and routines, so hiring emotionally intelligent people isn't enough to guarantee emotionally intelligent performance.
- Vanessa Druskat's research shows the situation and team culture shape whether individuals display empathy, voice, or cooperation.
Engineers Improved Performance By Nodding
- An engineering team changed its dynamics by adopting tiny visible behaviors like nodding and eye contact during conversations.
- That small norm shift improved respect, listening, and overall performance according to Druskat's field work.
Use Three Norm Clusters To Structure Team Change
- Prioritize three clusters of norms: caring for individuals, relentless improvement routines, and stakeholder humility.
- Druskat identified nine norms from top teams that map into these three actionable buckets.
