A University of Pennsylvania study found that optimism is a better predictor of College GPA than SAT scores or even High school GPA.

The ability to understand emotions was found as the most consistent predictor of leadership emergence. -Cote, in The Leadership Quarterly

Of a study of companies with1,000 or more employees, high market performers were considerably more likely to have EQ initiatives in place as well as focus those initiatives on the executive levels (32% compared to just 19%). i4cp

New salesmen at MetLife who scored high on a test of learned optimism (part of EQ competency Motivation) sold 37% more life insurance in their first two years than pessimists. Furthermore, optimists who failed the companys original screening process sold 57% more life insurance in their second year than pessimists. -Seligman

The Air Force also found that by using emotional intelligence to select recruiters, they increased their ability to predict successful recruiters by nearly three-fold. The immediate gain was a saving of $3 million annually. Bar-On EQi

After supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies:

• Accidents were reduced by 50 percent, formal grievances were
• Reduced from an average of 15 per year to 3 per year, and the plant exceeded
• Productivity goals by $250,000 -Pesuric & Byham,

On an annual basis, LOreal salespeople selected on the basis of emotional competence outsold salespeople selected using the companys old selection procedure by $91,370 -- for a net revenue increase of $2,558,360. -Spencer, McClelland, & Kelner

Experienced partners in a multinational consulting firm who scored above the median on 9 or more of the 20 competencies delivered $1.2 million more profit from their accounts than did other partners a 139 percent incremental gain. -Boyatzis