“When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.” — Dale Carnegie

Imagine a manager who is highly skilled in the technical aspects of a team but lacks empathy and the ability to direct team members to complete tasks. Additionally, they struggle to motivate and provide insights on why tasks need to be done. This situation can lead the team to fail in achieving their goals within the specified timeframe.

As a new student in the Faculty of Computer Science, University of Indonesia, it's common to seek advice from senior students about challenging courses. Proyek Perangkat Lunak (PPL) or software engineering project in english was one of those courses mentioned. At that time, I was apprehensive about PPL, especially since I was new to coding and didn't have many friends to study and discuss with. After several semesters and learning various technical skills, my fear started to fade away. I found a supportive and helpful group that assisted in completing tasks for each sprint. This support made it feasible to handle PPL.

What is People Smart ?

Interpersonal Intelligence comes in various forms, and one of them is People Smart. It involves the ability to work cooperatively with other group members and communicate effectively, both verbally and non-verbally. People Smart individuals can perceive and differentiate the intentions and moods of others.

These skills can be cultivated by becoming a good listener. A good listener can learn to understand others and adapt responses to the speaker's situation. Thus, a good listener can also be a good speaker. A good speaker can influence and motivate others.

People Smart Skills

In addition to being a good listener, here are some skills that can be developed to enhance our interpersonal intelligence and become people smart:

• Expressing Yourself Clearly

We must know how to convey our message clearly and effectively. In personal or business relationships, expressing oneself clearly is essential. We should be able to differentiate between explaining something simply and explaining it in detail. However, the details should be clear and not confusing to others.

Example: using easily understandable words, learning to sense others' emotions, not being afraid to check others' understanding of what we are saying.

• Asserting Your Needs

Being true to oneself, setting relationship boundaries, and sticking to those boundaries. Trying to be everything for everyone will only lead to disappointment.

Example: being straightforward about one's own desires and communicating them clearly and comprehensibly to team members.

• Being a Team Player

Working in a team is a challenge that requires People Smart skills because we have limited control over each member. It can be complicated when opportunities are limited, and expressing oneself becomes difficult.

Example actions: complementing others' shortcomings and difficulties, motivating others without sounding authoritative, taking the initiative to help the team, respecting each team member's time.

• Understanding People

A person's success can be measured by how well they understand others. People who understand easily can speak effectively and express opinions, influence others, and resolve disputes healthily.

Example actions: empathy, acknowledging different perspectives, knowing how to ask clarifying questions, learning to interpret the unspoken, understanding others' styles and motives, active listening.

• Influencing Others

Influencing others means motivating them to take action. Before we can motivate others, we must be able to establish a good relationship with them, effectively present what we offer, and negotiate with them. In my opinion, an effective way to motivate others to act is to start with 'why.' We should be able to explain why others should do it.

Example actions: understanding and being persuasive.

• Exchanging Feedback

We should be able to provide feedback easily, understandably, and without offending others. Feedback and criticism should be constructive, descriptive, specific, and aimed at helping rather than tearing down. Criticism should be given at the right time and be practical. We should also be brave enough to ask for feedback from others.

Example actions: encouraging others to respond to feedback requests by giving them time to arrange and express their thoughts, listening with an open mind to what they say.

• Shifting Gears

We should be able to adapt and be flexible in various situations, understanding that everyone has their own way of solving problems. We should be willing to try new things and break old habits when necessary.

Example actions: knowing how to avoid adapting to situations and conditions.

• Resolving Conflict

Finally, resolving conflicts requires the use of the seven skills mentioned above in tense and difficult situations. Essentially, we must express the core of the problem clearly, which can be difficult if done with hesitation or fear.

Example actions: finding out what bothers us and what bothers others, suggesting creative solutions.

In a PPL team, being People Smart can greatly help in creating a better working atmosphere. This atmosphere can enhance team productivity and make work easier and more efficiently and effectively accomplished, even though it may initially seem difficult to achieve.