Vanessa Urch Druskat
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Vanessa Urch Druskat
Associate Professor, University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics
Developed the Team Emotional Intelligence (Team EI) model
Advises leaders in top global organizations like Amazon and Biogen
Author of The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups That Outperform the Rest
Member of S&W’s public scholars coaching group
Q&A title
Why did you choose Harvard Business Review Press?
Two decades ago, a graduate school friend and I wrote a book chapter that was picked up by the Harvard Business Review. Because the article sold so many copies, an editor at HBR Books Press asked if we (or I) wanted to write a book on the same topic. I told her I needed to do more research on the subject first. Twenty years later, with Anne's encouragement, I sent that same editor a note, and she said “yes!”
How did one of the biggest names in your field (Daniel Goleman) write the forward to your book?
My editor suggested it when she discovered that I knew him. It felt like a complicated request, but he responded to my email right away and said he'd be happy to do it. Writing this book has taught me more than I ever wanted to know about book marketing. Initially, I didn't think his foreword would make a difference. However, many people have mentioned it. The publisher told me it likely helped in securing translations into several languages. And when Daniel sent out a note about my book to his millions of followers on social media, there can be little doubt that it made a difference.
You did a TEDx talk on “why the ‘superstar’ myth might be holding us all back.” How did that happen and what did you learn?
One of my goals in publishing this book was to secure speaking engagements. When I read that the TEDx franchise in my area had coaches who would work with me on my presentation skills and hone my message, I decided to audition and was selected as one of eleven speakers. Their team of coaches and the other presenters made the experience great fun. Because I'm a professor (unlike the other ten), I was already comfortable standing in front of crowds, so I didn't receive as much feedback as I hoped. But they helped me hone my message in ways that have helped as I discuss my book with different audiences.
Bonus: What do you wish we had asked you? Or what advice do you want to give to other writers like you?
I wish I’d truly understood how difficult it would feel to write and market a public-facing book. The insecurity (and stupidity) I felt throughout the writing process reminded me of my early years in graduate school. Honestly, the only thing that kept me handing over drafts of chapters that I felt were not yet “good enough” were the deadlines my editor enforced. Here is the good part: I had my coaching group to remind me that my roller coaster of feelings was normal and pushed me to celebrate small wins. I’ve also learned and grown in tremendous ways. In many ways, I’ve never felt this strong and capable.
The Emotionally Intelligent Team:
Building Collaborative Groups That Outperform the Rest
Great teams can sometimes feel like magic. So much so that it can be hard to pin down why they work so well. But such dynamics are explainable—and replicable. And at their heart is emotional intelligence.
Buy at Amazon
Buy at Harvard Business Review
Join Vanessa in our Public Scholars group!
What is the public scholars group?
We have several Advance coaching groups for anyone who has completed Transform. They help you stick to your writing routine, set better goals, and stay motivated in different ways. The public scholars group is for anyone who wants their work to reach beyond their colleagues. That might mean a crossover book, op-eds, long-form essays, being interviewed by podcasters and journalists, activism, workshops, consulting, or developing a lab that focuses on real-world solutions to the problems the general public cares about.
We work on defining your “brand,” developing writing ideas, translating your research, pitching editors, how/when/if to get an agent, marketing your book, dealing with public pushback, and discovering all the different ways you can engage more people with the work you love. Plus the highs and lows in doing so.
