How to achieve success by putting emotional intelligence first

Jess Tray, APM’s Young Project Professional of the Year, worked on an NHS mental health service that gave hard‑to‑reach communities the pandemic support they needed, reports Charles Orton-Jones.

The pandemic – as if we need reminding – has been a menace not only to the lungs, but to the soul. Loneliness has soared. Home workers have piled on the pounds, stuck in front of computer monitors. And the torrent of bad news led to the Office for National Statistics observing the biggest decline in morale on record.

Some communities had it worse than others. Ethnic and religious groups in particular were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Good Thinking, an NHS mental health service, wanted to help these hard‑to‑reach groups. But how? Jess Tray had a few ideas.

“I thought, ‘Ah great! The first and maybe only time that I’ll get to put my degree to use,’” she recalls.

Tray got a first in theology from Cambridge University in 2016, and her grounding in religious concepts suddenly became extremely useful. As a senior consultant at Gate One, a digital and business transformation consultancy, Tray’s job was to create and produce content for Good Thinking to help religious groups suffering during Covid.

Weaving together wellness and faith

“In times of hardship, some people turn to faith communities more than they would otherwise,” says Tray. “A survey of the Punjabi community found people were looking to their friends, family and faith for support through the pandemic, and not necessarily the NHS. We needed to offer mental health support in a culturally competent way, including to people who might feel more comfortable accessing support in their native language. I was brought in to structure the approach, engage with the faith communities and create content to help members of these communities with their mental health.”

The result was a set of online resources and videos that delivered detailed guidance on mental health and wellbeing to faith and belief communities in a truly original way. “To design content with London’s Muslim communities, we formed a working group with Newham Council; Dr Imrana Siddiqui, GP and clinical lead for mental health at North‑East London Clinical Commissioning Group; and the Newham Muslim Forum. Dr Siddiqui suggested mapping the NHS Five Ways to Wellbeing onto the five pillars of Islam and seeing if that would converge. It felt a bit forced, but triggered our thinking of how we could bring mental health and faith together.”

Sensitive collaboration as a powerful tool

Tray’s knowledge of Islam allowed her to contribute to this group, navigating sensitive areas. “As a working group, we worked with members of Newham’s Muslim community to pull together Quranic references and aspects of Muslim life to shape a version of the Five Ways to Wellbeing from an Islamic perspective.” For example, a core principle of Islam is Zakat, or charity. The content suggests: “Getting some essential supplies for a vulnerable neighbour. Even if you don’t have much, the Prophet (PBUH) still encouraged giving ‘even half a date’ [Sahih Al‑Bukhari].” And: “Just smiling at others; this is a form of charity in Islam as per the saying of the Prophet (PBUH), ‘a smile is a charity’ [At‑Tirmidhi].”

Tray recalls with pride: “We got endorsement from the Muslim Council of Britain, the British Islamic Medical Association and the British Board of Scholars and Imams, who could circulate the content through their existing community networks.” Content went viral via WhatsApp and Facebook. The success of the project prompted further commissions. By March 2021, Tray and the team had engaged over 30 organisations and produced 40 pieces of content, far in excess of the brief, and on time and within budget too. The impact saw her named Young Project Professional of the Year at the 2021 APM Awards.

For Tray, a major payoff was the collaborative approach with the NHS, Newham Council and Muslim community organisations. “It wasn’t just a tick‑box exercise. It felt powerful, bringing together people in the same room who wanted to make a difference.”

Emotional intelligence as a must‑have skill

For project managers, there’s a lesson here in the value of emotional intelligence, or EQ. A role like this requires an informed and aware disposition. Tray is clearly a natural, but works at it too. “I think it can be taught,” she says. “Even if it’s just learning how to listen to someone. I did a course as part of Gate One’s Mental Health Ally training, which involved role‑playing with three people, one of whom is just observing and giving feedback. You learn there are times when people just want you to be quiet and give them space. It’s worth doing.”

She argues that EQ is even more important in the Zoom age. “We are more likely to ask people how they are doing and have conversations with clients,” she says. “We’ve all been disrupted and have been collectively going through a difficult time for nearly two years. Video calls mean we are looking into people’s lives, seeing a cat or a child in the background. I think it’s humanised things a lot more.”

Going into the office has changed. “If I just want to be productive, I can stay at home,” says Tray. “But if I go into the office, I want to chat. People really value that, in a way they didn’t when they were in the office five days a week.

“We have annual awards for six values, one of which is empathy. It’s a big part of being able to get on with the people you work for and with.”

Another lesson is how accumulating knowledge can pay off in unlikely ways. Her degree in theology meant Tray could bring together a variety of religious and cultural groups productively. “A great way to improve EQ is to read; even fiction can help,” says Tray. Her advice is to keep working at EQ. Theoretical knowledge is great, but when a crisis hits, project managers need more profound skills to draw on.

Jess’ five top tips for ambitious project managers

1. Use visual updates

I like to engage people by using video when I can. The software I use is called Wondershare Filmore – not a very catchy name, but it works well. I use free vectors if I can find them. People take footage on their phones. We use templates and stock images. Canva is useful, too, for graphics and short animations. Video editing takes a bit of practice, but it’s worth it.

2. Join a book club

Reading can be a great way to develop your EQ. I joined Gate One’s book club, which met virtually during lockdowns. I discovered some really interesting books, such as Invisible Women by Caroline Criado‑Perez, which talks about the gender data bias. For example, crash test dummies are man‑sized, so cars don’t protect women as well. Start with Why by Simon Sinek looks at how leaders inspire. And The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath is about how certain moments can have a disproportionate impact on us.

3. Find your mentors

I have informal mentors at Gate One – my line manager Grace Blundell; Caro Ruttledge, who heads our People Change practice; and Tom Mottram, who was my manager on my first project at Gate One. They’ve been relentless cheerleaders. They’ve pushed me to challenge myself and believe in myself. It’s something I’ve genuinely benefited from since starting. My advice is to find people who will champion you and help you like that. You can repay the favour and champion other people and build that into your work.

4. Bite off more than you can chew

Transitioning into a new project can be a big step up. In my current project, my reaction was: ‘I can’t do this, I haven’t done anything like it before.’ It’s important to realise there will be a learning curve in a new role, as you work in ambiguity and without all the answers. Over time, you can research the new role and work it out. You need to trust that you can cope. Project management gives you a core set of skills and will help to anchor you if things feel overwhelming or unfamiliar.

5. Search for the right culture

This is the third company I’ve worked for, and in the first two I didn’t quite click. Nothing wrong with them, but now at Gate One, I definitely feel like I fit in. If things don’t feel right, keep pushing and searching. You may even need to take a leap of faith. I was ready to leave consulting after the first two years, and only came for an interview at Gate One because it was a few doors down from my old workplace.

 

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE SPRING 2022 ISSUE OF PROJECT JOURNAL, WHICH IS FREE FOR APM MEMBERS.