Evolution of the point system & prioritization of soft skills: Emotional Intelligence (Part 1)

OPINION PIECE by Miki Takashima (Osaka, Japan)

The SATs for university entrance has evolved so much since I prepared by memorizing countless vocabulary words that honestly didn't make sense for me back then.

CollegeBoard now offers prep courses for 8th + 9th graders.... There are many graduate programs that now do not require GRE or GMAT scores (a phenomenon called GRExit) because these forward-thinking institutions are re-evaluating what to prioritize when it comes down to how the individual will show up when they join the program. This is very interesting and the trend will probably continue to change.

High school is probably one of the most challenging time for any individual, because of all the potential that we face during that time of growth and curiosity we have for the world. I assume that many of us struggled to figure out the next steps of life, but the hard work does pay off when you can take the time to reflect and imagine your dreams vividly during this uncertainty. I assume that many of the younger generation facing entrance into colleges or higher degrees have an infinite amount of opportunity now, and they should be so happy about this! Of course, at the end of the day, it is "your" life and hopefully "you" are making decisions for yourself; although I do appreciate that many parents are still going to be part of this decision making process as well, hopefully for the better.

"Value" seems to be so definitive and an objective word that can be thrown around so easily. For the startup + innovation world, the keyword "valuation" is a buzzword, where real cash vs. future prediction will end up in the same sentence. I absolutely understand and appreciate the profit generating business eco-systems, but I'm personally more committed to look at the founder or the people who are running businesses.

Are you agile? Can you work without structure? How do you deal with uncertainty?

Emotional Intelligence, Awareness, Intention, Curiosity are insightful traits that I highlight when interviewing new founders that want to enter new market places.

For example, when a medical professional is talking about promotion of health and wellness, credibility is a huge part of the trust piece, where they went to school and received their degree. However, if they are (okay, this is an extreme example) chain-smoking during their talk, then.... would you align with their principles? There's quite a bit of complexity that I observe these days. And I'm very blessed and surround myself with self-aware individuals that they don't let this type of situation go without recognizing the irony.

I'll finish off by saying that I'm studying new hospitality and tourism trends now that we are seemingly going back to normal life, and travel in general seems to be picking up. I recognize that nothing is perfect, but the core belief I learned in hospitality management classes is what I strive for as well - the fact that the guest experience can be managed well and high level of commitment from the host can make a world of a difference. Guest satisfaction is not enough anymore; the guest feedback truly affects how businesses will survive or thrive due to the shortened feedback / latency loop between the end-user and management team(s) - "thanks" to technological advancement.

I will always wrestle with the fact that there are severe and troubling cases that a company like AirBnB seems to not learn from, and can we really call them a hospitality service provider? Emotional costs are so high in these cases, and are hard to recover from; although at the end of the day, perhaps it comes down to how we "value" experiences and business practice perspectives.

Are you one that wants to learn from experience, or would you rather stay the same and try to avoid "mistakes"?

#education #international #global #higherlearning #evolution #newnormal #emotionalintelligence #ei #hospitality #value #innovation #marketentry