In our first post on feeling and its role on productivity, we discussed the importance of looking at your tools for getting things done as well as a few other tips. In this post, we look at the role that others can play in our quest for deeper levels of productivity.

Consider the case of Phyllis. She leads a software development team in Boston. Her style is energetic and upbeat. She is generally well liked and respected and has one attribute that most people don't know.

She's an introvert.

It's not that Phyllis is shy. Her positive energy rubs off on her team every day and her friendliness is contageous but deep down, she craves quiet times and remote places where she can think and get things done. Lunch is a daily ritual best spent alone, thinks Phyllis often to herself.

None of this is an issue so long as Phyllis can accomplish two things:

She needs to have the deep self awareness of her introversion.
She needs to place people around her who compliment her disposition.

And this is where feeling comes into play. For Phyllis, and for you and me, productivity is not just a solo act. Rather, it's something that we do with other people. Even for the consultant, the writer, the performer- all need others at some level. This is how we are as people: we are social.

So here are today's tips:

Recognize that the teams with the most feeling are varied. There are introverts, extroverts, geeks and people persons, etc. Together, they have a chance to harness feeling better than a group that leaned more in one direction than another.
Do anything that will help you to be more self aware. Whether it's in the form of a mentor, a discussion group, or daily journaling, find ways to become more aware of your own tendencies and foibles. The more self aware you become, the better a leader you'll be.

Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.
Harriet Beecher Stowe