Operational Pressure meets Emotional Intelligence, by USHST

Operational Pressure meets Emotional Intelligence
By Jessica Meiris
Highlighted in VAI Daily of Jan. 29, 2025.
Republished in the EASA Community to the benefit of safety.

Quote: Pressure can show up in unexpected forms, and sometimes operate in the background- influencing ways of being you might not otherwise recognize. Sometimes a little extra attentiveness can help your overall process in detecting and mitigating risk.

I’m thinking back to a day this summer in a longline utility operation where I made several silly errors. Nothing dangerous or unsafe, but simple little things that were unlike me and stuck out as unusual. While fatigue was also a factor, there was operational pressure present in the form of a couple ‘higher ups’ from the customer’s leadership team that were on site at the time, as well as the general knowledge that the project was behind schedule. Since the daily tasks of the project depend on the helicopter, the machine is an easy place to point the finger when productivity is low, even though it had little to do with the delays. The leadership team members on site weren’t actually placing any pressure on me, and no one was shaking a finger in my face demanding to fly. In fact, they were quite cordial and made it clear they trusted my judgment about whether to leave the ground or not. Regardless, I perceived their presence as an energetic shift where I felt the need to show up in a different way from what was normal for me. You might think their presence would cue me to elevate my performance, reducing the chance of error. However, the opposite happened! After some reflection on the mistakes that day, I realized that I’d allowed myself to become distracted by the perceived need to perform, and my normal routine was disrupted in a negative way. While some disruptions in routine can be healthy and help avoid complacency, in this case the deviation had a negative impact.

What stood out about this instance was not only the sneaky ways that pressure can interfere with your decision making, but also the self-awareness it requires to notice those small nuances which can then improve the level of decision-making response. By contrast, a lack of awareness could lead to me chalking those mistakes up to “just having an off day”. There’s no way to prove it either way so I’ll never know with certainty, however I feel that a high level of emotional intelligence allows me to know myself and my tendencies well, and therefore be able to identify patterns or behaviors, analyze them, and respond more appropriately.

How do you improve your self-awareness and emotional intelligence? There are many resources on the topic including online articles, books, and courses. Some easy ways to get started:

• Spend more time in observance of your own emotions, and work to expand your vocabulary for emotional expression.
• Frequently inquire as to the “why” of someone else’s thoughts or actions- be curious rather than reactive.
• Ask others for perspective and accept criticism with a learner’s mind.
• Be fully present when listening, rather than thinking about your response. Take a moment to pause before you speak.
• Respond from a place of compassion and curiosity.
• Ask open ended questions, which cannot be answered with a Yes or No. They usually start with Why, How, When or What. For example, saying “How did that make you feel?” versus “Did you feel angry?” allows the person to respond with more freedom.

The benefits of boosting your self-awareness and emotional intelligence include increased trust with team members or in a leadership role, enhancing customer service capability, forming or maintaining deeper relationships, and a heightened sense of connection and belonging. Who doesn’t want that?

As pilots we are tasked with thousands of decisions every day. Take the time to ask yourself why something went the way it did, and reflect on the root cause. Develop the mindfulness to understand when you’re triggered or affected by something, especially if it’s deviously hanging out in the background like operational pressure. Build the skills to communicate more effectively with your colleagues and the people in life you care about. And lastly, be willing to vulnerably share your experiences with others. We’re not alone out there!