Search Committees: Emotional Intelligence Matters More Than Ever

"Be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." I Peter 3:8

Emotional intelligence played a crucial role in the firing of Disney company's CEO, Bob Chapek. Bob Iger, the former CEO now rehired, lamented to the New York Times that Mr. Chapek's "seeming lack of empathy and emotional intelligence… resulted in an inability to communicate with or relate to Hollywood's creative community." Iger reportedly said Disney was losing its "soul." This is not an isolated case and isn't a trend just in large corporations. An article on Succession in the Harvard Business Review noted, The trend was strong: "soft skills" – emotional intelligence being the core – are steadily increasing as what companies want in their top leaders.

For a long time, "hard skills" have been declining in the interview process in large corporations. However, the church still emphasizes the length of experience, preaching competence, technical savvy, program development, teaching skills, and educational achievements. Yet, most pastors get in trouble in their congregations, not because of their preaching skills but their pastoral care competencies.

While hard skills should continue to play a role in choosing a new pastor, search committees need to focus more on self-awareness, empathy skills like sensing what others are thinking and feeling, social skills like listening deeply, communicating effectively, and working well with many different kinds of people.

According to that same Harvard Business Review article, emotional intelligence skills are becoming more vital for everyone, not just top executives. Emotional intelligence (EI) is a must-have skill and a critical basis for strong leadership.

Professor Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence, says EI is entirely learnable – and you can continue to develop, grow, and apply your EI skills as you navigate your emotional intelligence journey. An essential path to meaningful growth is intentional learning, practice, and reflection. If you're ready to deepen your EI, you can learn more about the Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence Courses here.

When a church is in transition, the search committee should focus on self-awareness, empathy, and social skills like listening deeply and communicating effectively with many generations, social circles, lifestyle tribes, and educational levels in your congregation. Look more carefully for competence in soft skills (EI) than hard skills, and you will be pleased with the quality of relationships that grow out of it.