Predictive Success Blog

Companies across the globe invest large sums of money every year into the training of their management. The consensus is that training leadership may be costly but the return on investment is even greater when management is empowered with new skills to strengthen the culture and productivity of the company. But how are these leaders chosen? What are the consequences of investing in a leader who does not turn out appropriate for the position? Technical and analytical ability are both important factors in deciding a leader, but governing a group requires more than just expertise in the tasks of the business. The term emotional intelligence is thrown around when discussing the feelings in the workplace, but it means so much more than that.

Emotional intelligence is comprised of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill: All important aspects of a leader. The ability of a manager to communicate effectively with others and manage themselves is what separates the great leaders from the adequate ones. A manager at a company may have the most extraordinary technical skills but still lack leadership skills without the emotional intelligence needed to connect with their employees successfully. But how do we evaluate the emotional intelligence of a candidate?

It turns out that each of the five components of emotional intelligence have behaviors that relate to a high component. For example, those with strong persuasiveness are seen to have a high social skill. The EQ-I 2.0™ provided by Predictive Success utilizes these behaviors of potential leaders to create a measure of emotional intelligence so that executives can determine whether a candidate possesses the emotional intelligence to become a great leader. The EQ-I 2.0 is the first scientifically validated measure of emotional intelligence with high accuracy reported from multiple research organizations.

The EQ-I 2.0 better predicts the potential and performance of an employee or a candidate. The assessment also features a leadership customization that allows the user to generate a report of a candidate’s leadership potential based on their emotional intelligence results. An executive can compare reports of different candidates to make an informed decision regarding the management position. The analysis of the EQ-I 2.0 increases the likelihood of a candidate or employee being an appropriate fit for a leadership position, which saves the company money on investments in leadership training that do not produce the leaders needed for company growth and success. Great leaders strengthen their teams and increase productivity, boosting performance and awarding the company with a large return on investment.

The Predictive Index Behavioural Assessment ™ also measures behaviours of employees and candidates, serving in a similar way as a predictor of leadership potential. Employers searching for an ideal leader can use The Predictive Index Job Assessment ™ to create a benchmark that represents the behaviours of someone with a high emotional intelligence. The behavioural assessment and the job benchmark can then be compared for candidates to determine who has the behaviour that most resembles that of a great leader.

Studies have found a strong relationship between effectiveness as a leader and high emotional intelligence. Behaviours that many in the workplace believe to be ‘soft’ are actually some of the most important qualities to possess as a leader. In no way are technical and analytical expertise not a factor in finding a leader. However, these skills should be viewed as a threshold in the evaluation of a candidate. Research indicates that great leaders only need the minimal requirement of technical ability for their position to be successful.

So, are future leaders born with a high emotional intelligence? Although there are genetic factors at play, emotional intelligence is developed as one grows. Research suggests that, if using the correct methods, people can develop their own emotional intelligence. The EQ-I 2.0 and The Predictive Index Behavioural Assessment are not only measuring emotional intelligence but also monitoring changes in the developments of candidates as they mature through re-tests. Companies need to consider the emotional intelligence of potential leaders, as it may have an impact on who receives leadership training and their return on investment.

Predictive Success empowers leaders to optimize workforce performance through proven talent management methodologies, high-performing team building technology, and collected employee or potential candidate data. To learn more about how you can work with our team, please contact us today.