Should B-Schools Also Test Applicants for Emotional Intelligence

B Schools have so far admitted students based on their ability to think. Now some of them are also screening candidates on their feelings and emotions. Should they?When it comes to career success anyone who has been to a college reunion will tell you that people, who are self aware, show empathy and socially skilled are often more successful in their career than someone who only displays raw intelligence. That probably explains why everyone who has topped the class has not necessarily been as successful as someone who “had a way with people”. The psychologists like Daniel Goleman use the term “Emotional Intelligence” to describe such people. IQ is about knowing the correct answer and sharing it. EQ is about knowing when to keep quiet or speak up.Intelligent people know the correct answer to a problem and they can get it faster than anyone else. They understand “what” to say. The emotionally intelligent know “how” to say it. They will change their pitch according to the audience after getting a quick read on their mood. Why is it important to be emotionally intelligent?Even the boss’s tone of voice can trigger one or another brain area. In one study, when people got positive performance feedback that was delivered in a negative, cold tone of voice, they came out of the session feeling down–despite the good news.Warren Buffet often asks each student to pick a classmate. Not just any classmate, but the classmate you would choose if you could have 10% of their earnings for the rest of their life. Which classmate would you pick and why? “Are you going to pick the one with the highest IQ?” asks Buffett. “Are you going to pick the one with the highest grades? What qualities will cause you to pick them?” Then he changes things up again. Who would you think is least likely to succeed? Why?Inevitably, the most useful qualities have nothing to do with IQ, grades etc. People pick based on generosity, kindness, and integrity. Emotional Intelligence is the term that captures all these attributes.The Yale School of Management has now gone ahead and stipulated that students who want to do an MBA will have to clear a standardized test of emotional intelligence. The test is called The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) features 140 questions and usually takes about 30 minutes to complete. It tests a person’s ability to manage himself or herself and leverage emotions to influence others.

1. Perceiving Emotions: The ability to perceive emotions in oneself and others as well as in objects, art, stories, music, and other stimuli
2. Facilitating Thought: The ability to generate, use, and feel emotion as necessary to communicate feelings
3. Understanding Emotions: To understand how emotions combine and progress through relationship transitions, and to appreciate such emotional meanings
4. Managing Emotions: The ability to be open to feelings, and to modulate them in oneself and others so as to promote personal understanding and growth

Measuring EQ—or emotional intelligence quotient—is the latest attempt by business schools to identify future stars. Yale is not alone. Tests to measure the candidate’s EQ are used in admissions at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.According to the Wall Street Journal, EQ factors such as altruism and resilience can be a good predictor of who might be headed toward early burnout.Every successful leader will tell you that a brilliant plan does not guarantee great results. How do they get ideas? How do they execute a great plan? Even the most brilliant plan has to be carried out by the rest of the organization. That needs commitment and not just compliance. In times of sluggish business growth, the ability to attract talent, understand intangible elements like meaning and purpose to motivate and rally people is what leaders need. They have to understand the emotions of others to be able to motivate, inspire and engage them. Testing for EQ is a step in the right direction to build better workplaces.Will the Indian B-Schools please take a cue from this?——————Why Emotional Intelligence Matters More Than IQJoin me on twitter @abhijitbhaduri