I recently read an article in Psychology Today about how people with higher emotional intelligence (EI) are happier, more perceptive and sensitive to others, more rewarding and fun, and more flexible and adaptable.  These are all highly important traits that are very desirable in the workplace.  But is there a true connection between these traits and work success?

What makes this article unique is how they equate happiness with higher levels of EI.  According to the article, happier people with higher EI find better jobs, show better job performance, and make more money.  In addition, happy CEOs have happier people working for them. But why?  They list several explanations:

Happier People are Better Focused - Unhappy, lower EI employees tend to be less vigilant about the needs of others.  They tend to focus on themselves more and can get easily distracted at work.

Positive Moods – People in good moods tend to deflate crises and resolve conflicts easier.  Negative moods can increase conflict. 

Improved Decision Making – People with positive dispositions make better decisions.  Often times negative people get too hung up in the small details.  In addition, optimistic people are more likely to ask for help in the decision making process and consider the effect of the decision on others.

While there is some debate whether or not to base a hiring decision on EI, many large corporations seem to believe that EI is an important factor.  I agree.  One survey indicates that 60% of employers would not hire a candidate with a high IQ and a low EQ.  Johnson and Johnson has found that employees at mid-career level with high leadership potential have much stronger EI competencies than their peers.  Research by the Center for Creative Leadership has found that the primary reason that executives fail is a lack of emotional intelligence.  The top three skills they lack are handling change, working well in a team, and interpersonal relations.

In another example, a large beverage company was using standard methods of hire for their division presidents.  At that time 50% of them were leaving after only two years due to poor performance.  The company then began rethinking how they were selecting candidates.  They began evaluating candidates on emotional competencies such as initiative, self-confidence, and leadership.  This resulted in only 6% of the employees leaving after two years – a significant reduction.  In addition, these executives performed in the top third of their peers and outperformed their sales targets by 15-20%.  Those lacking EI typically performed 20% below target.

So how do we as HR professionals measure emotional intelligence?  There are several tests on the market including the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), which was specifically designed for use in the business community.  Other big players in this market include the NEO-Personality Inventory and the Personality Characteristics Inventory (PCI). 

How do you evaluate for EI during the interview process?  Have you found that basing a hire on EI has resulted in a better hire?  Let me know at [email protected].  I enjoy hearing from you.

After my last blog I heard from Gordon Thompson, Director, Human Resources and Production Operations at Kawasaki Robotics.  I wanted to share with you how they encourage gratitude in the workplace:

We try to encompass the meaning of the words of the song 'Little Things Mean a Lot" by small and simple things: