Hire Right: IQ and EQ
When you hire a new team member, the right fit is non-negotiable.

Is it a Game of Chance?

We're all familiar with that candidate who was ideal on paper, aced the interview, and did fine the first three weeks--only to crash and burn. One of the reasons? A lack of emotional intelligence, which can wreak havoc on your practice.

Why do you hire the wrong people? Even the best interview process fails when you or the interview team over-rely on your intuition and "gut feelings." You may also be tempted to select solely based on general intelligence or technical competencies. But you must take emotional intelligence into consideration, too.

Research shows that no more than 25% of one's overall success at work is attributable to general intelligence--also known as the intelligence quotient, or IQ. A good portion of that remaining 75% is related to emotional intelligence--also known as the emotional quotient, or EQ. So when you select for technical competence AND emotional intelligence, the odds are in your favor that you will hire a winner.

The Difference between IQ and EQ

IQ predicts analytic reasoning, verbal skills, and spatial ability. Though it gives you some idea of general intelligence, it certainly doesn't tell you how well a person will do under pressure, nor is it the best predictor of work success.

EQ measures a person's capacity for recognizing his or her own feelings and the feelings of others, and for managing his or her reactions in response to those feelings. People with high EQ choose their responses carefully, even when they are highly emotionally aroused. They preserve their own dignity and their relationships with others.

The Emotional Intelligence Interview

When hiring for emotional intelligence, ask behavior-based questions that prompt the interviewee to talk about real experiences in the past. Don't ask future-based "what if" questions that have an obvious right answer.

Ask Behavior-Based Questions

Learn about past behavior, because it helps to predict future behavior.
 
For example, to learn about the person's self-awareness, you could ask, "Describe a time when you were in a good mood at work. How did that affect your performance?" Then tack on a question that tests other-awareness: "What impact did it have on your boss and colleagues?"
 
To query all of the EQ skills (self-awareness, other-awareness, self-management, and relationship management), ask something like, "Tell me when you were most frustrated in your efforts to deal with a conflict with a coworker. How did you handle it? What was the other person's response? What was the outcome?"

Conduct Behavior-Based Exercises

Role-play, presentations, and mock meetings are exercises you can use to see what the candidate will do in a scenario he or she will commonly face at work. Be sure to determine the "best" answer BEFORE the process begins.

For example, you could have each candidate for office manager conduct a mock team meeting where the person presents a policy change. Have two of the team members talk amongst themselves, one disengage completely, and one try to take over the meeting.

Red flags to look for during these tests of people skills are:
  • Criticizing or blaming others
  • Poor impulse control
  • Signs of disrespect and judgment
  • Inability to neutralize toxic people or set boundaries
  • A puny emotional vocabulary (e.g., can't distinguish "bad" from "anxious" or "angry")
  • Impatience with feelings
Remember: You want team members who are book smart and have heart.Emotionally intelligent teams work together well to accomplish organizational goals. And an emotionally healthy and happy team equates to a more pleasant work environment for everyone!

Suggested Reading

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This article is adapted from content in Shawn McVey's presentation titled, "Hiring for Emotional Intelligence." Schedule Shawn today to give this presentation to your group or team! Contact Cindy Oliphant at 888-759-7191 or by email.

What Would Shawn Do?

The Basics of Giving Good Phone
 
Q:
Our receptionists seem so curt when they answer the phone. I think they're turning away prospective clients! How can I train them to do better?
 
A:
Your clients and prospective clients expect excellent service at all times. To meet the challenge, create protocols and use scripts. Have each person practice the scripts to improve tone, inflection, pitch, pace, and volume. Here's a start:
  1. Always answer within three rings.
  2. Smile as you pick up the phone. State the name of the hospital and your name. Offer assistance. "Thank you for calling _____________ Animal Hospital. This is Tracy. How may I help you?"
  3. Affirm the person has made the right choice by calling the practice. "I can help you with that." Or, "I'm sorry to hear your dog is not feeling well. I would be happy to assist you."
  4. Obtain contact information. "Have you been to our hospital before? May I quickly get some contact information from you? Thank you, Mr./Mrs. _________."
  5. Analyze the client's needs. When necessary, triage. Ask two to four brief questions to get enough information to proceed, such as, "How old and what breed is your pet?" "How long has this been going on?" "How is he responding to you?""
  6. Make the appointment. "How soon can you bring Fluffy in?" Or, "I have an available appointment at (option 1) or (option 2)? What time works best for you?"
  7. Finally, confirm the appointment. "Great, I have you and Fluffy confirmed for Monday, December 12th at 6:30 PM. You will receive a confirmation email within 10 minutes. If you have any questions between now and then, give us a call."
  8. If it's necessary to put someone on a BRIEF hold, ask, "May I put you on a brief hold?"
  9. If it's necessary to take a message, let the caller know when they can expect a return phone call and from whom.
  10. End the call. Repeat any actions that still need to be taken, ask if you can do anything else for the caller, and thank them!
Good luck!

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If you have a question you'd like Shawn to answer in a future issue of our newsletter, please reply to this email or submit the question via our website on our contact form. (We will maintain your anonymity.) Thank you!

Free Emotional Intelligence Resources 

Adapted from Shawn McVey's Workshop!

Need a fresh perspective on leadership challenges? Come to Shawn's latest workshop, What's Your EQ? Developing Your Emotional Intelligence, in Scottsdale, Arizona this coming February 23-25, 2016. In this highly interactive class, you'll learn how to increase your value to the practice as a leader and improve your connections to team members who look to you for direction.

To give you a taste of what you'll learn in the program, we'd like to give you three free resources:
  • The four basic emotional intelligence skill sets
  • The 19 competencies that make up emotional intelligence
  • A list of questions that will help you develop your personal vision
We'll delve into all of this content, and more, in detail in this groundbreaking program!

It's just over two months away! Read more about the program and the curriculum on our website, or register here.

Upcoming Gigs

Here are Shawn's upcoming speaking and consulting engagements. For more information or to schedule services, contact Cindy Oliphant at 888-759-7191, or by email.

JANUARY

January 26-27, 2015
VMG 17
Minneapolis, MN 
Private Speaking Engagement
Topics:
Pathway Planning
Emotional Intelligence

January 30, 2016
Ontario Veterinary Medical Association 
Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto
Topics:
Attitude Matters
Wow Them with Winning Service
What to Do When You Can't Say Yes
Building Client Relationships
How to Focus on the Client
Managing the Service Puzzle
Register here!

FEBRUARY

February 23-25
McVey Management Solutions
Scottsdale, AZ
What's Your EQ? Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
Register here!

McVey Management Solutions | 3930 Bee Cave Road | Austin, Texas 78746
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