There seems to be a general consensus that great leaders are those with greater academic credentials, which are indicative of a higher IQ. While this proposition seems to be accurate, IQ does not necessarily contribute to great leadership as emotional intelligence does. In as much as leaders may have higher IQ levels, they need to have specific personality traits, which helps them to be aware of the impact of their emotions. Emotional intelligence, which is defined as a heightened awareness of one's and others' emotions, allows leaders to examine situations and approach them appropriately. Extensive research establishes the role of emotional intelligence in leadership discourse. To this end, there seems to be a consensus that emotional intelligence helps to form, influence, and even alter actual leaders’ behaviors and communication patterns. The Emotional Intelligent Leadership (EIL) model is a theory that can be used to integrate emotional intelligence into the leadership process.
Focus on the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
Leadership is considered a combination of processes and competencies, which is required to empower and enable normal people to accomplish extraordinary events in the face of adversity. In this case, leaders must have the right combination of leadership skills and, most importantly, the right attitude and personality traits. Leadership, which is more of a persuasive as opposed to a dominative process, requires high levels of emotional intelligence. Stuart & Paquet (2001, p. 30) establishes that emotional intelligence is about “understanding one’s self and others, relating to people and adapting to and coping with environmental demands.” This description underscores the importance of emotions, which are considered as forceful since they arouse, direct, and sustain activities. Furthermore, emotional intelligence can determine an individual’s abilities since it influences the overall degree of emotional health and psychological well-being. Most of the personality traits that define great leaders, such as self-confidence, vision, and inner strengths, are indicators of EI. To this end, one can establish that EI plays an important role in determining the quality of leadership capabilities and skills.
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Analysis of Emotional Intelligence Leadership Model
The Emotional Intelligence Leadership Model (EIL) is founded on emotional intelligence and leadership constructs since the two interrelate quite well. EIL theory is a relevant theory, model, and research into emotional intelligence discourse. The theory establishes that leadership is a dynamic aspect, which is based on three factors, which include the consciousness of self, context, and others. Adler (2014) asserts that consciousness of self involves the demonstration of an ongoing awareness of one's emotions, abilities, and perceptions through introspection and reflection. The consciousness of others is about demonstrating a knowledge of the attitudes, emotions, and skills of others and intentionally working with them to cause positive change. On the other hand, a consciousness of the context is a demonstration of an awareness of situations and settings and paying attention to the impacts of internal group dynamics and environmental factors on the leadership process.
It is important to note that the EIL theory views EIL construct as a combination of personality traits, cognitive processes, competencies, and behaviors that interact to determine leadership outcomes. A research study on the connection between type A personality and emotional intelligence could be used to enforce the EIL model. Incebacak and Saglam (2017) establish that individuals with type A personality demonstrate impulsiveness, mobility, competition, ambition, hostility, aggression, and time pressure. These characteristics mean that such individuals are in constant competition, especially in the professional and business avenues since they lack self-confidence. Constant comparisons with others force individuals with type A personality to spend more time in the workplace in the hope of bettering oneself. Goleman (2017) affirms that individuals with positive relationships with others, have a healthy psychological adaptation, and are satisfied with life score highly on the emotional intelligence tests. In this case, such individuals make great leaders since they understand their emotions, those of others as well as their contexts.
Leaders who score high on emotional intelligence are those that are can recognize and express their emotions, have positive self-regard, actualize capacities, and lead happy lives. Such leaders understand how others feel, and as a result, they maintain responsible and mutually satisfying interpersonal relationships without overly depending on others. Weisinger (2015) asserts that emotionally intelligent leaders are generally flexible, optimistic, and realistic, which enhances their success in coping with stress and solving problems without losing control. There appears to be a consensus on the fact that emotions are crucial in creating social capital, which a person’s capability to form and uphold profitable and business relationships. This notion aligns with the EIL model, considering that emotional intelligence is about motivating oneself and others to achieve optimally.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence is a crucial aspect of the leadership discourse as it points to an awareness of one’s emotional awareness to elicit positive outcomes in others. Leaders understand that their followers operate in a dynamic environment, which could hamper their productivity, thus the need for emotional cognition. The IEL model of emotional intelligence as it pertains to leadership is founded on emotional intelligence and leadership constructs since the two interrelate quite well. The model is based on relevant theories, models, and research into emotional intelligence discourse and establishes that leadership is a dynamic aspect. The model rides on three factors, which are a consciousness of self, context, and others to form positive interpersonal relationships. Research indicates that personality traits, as demonstrated by type A personality individual correlates with emotional intelligence. Individuals who score high on emotional intelligence tests impact others positively considering that they understand the influence of their emotions, the context as well as the feelings of others.
References
Adler, M. (2014, January 2). Emotional intelligence: How Good leaders become great [Video]. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA15YZlF_kM
Goleman, D. (2017, November 20). Strategies to become more emotionally intelligent [Video]. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt74vK9pgIA
Incebacak, G., & Saglam, M. (2017). A research into the relationship between type A personality and emotional intelligence in leadership development. International Journal of Commerce and Finance, 3(1), 51-70.
Stuart, A. D., & Paquet, A. (2001). Emotional intelligence as a determinant of leadership potential. Journal of Industrial Psychology, 27(3), 30-34.
Weisinger, H. (2015, August 21). Emotional intelligence at work. [Video]. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHF23q3uhw
