Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Style, and Perceived Leadership Effectiveness

Abstract

Effective leadership is critical for today’s rapidly changing organizations. Emotional intelligence has been identified by some as that crucial element needed for this effective leadership. Although the research is growing, there still remains a gap on the relationships that exist between emotional intelligence and leadership. The study outlined in this article explored the relationships between emotional intelligence, leadership style, and leadership effectiveness. One hundred fifty-one managers completed the MSCEIT, an ability-measuring instrument of emotional intelligence. Those managers’ direct reports were asked to complete the MLQ5x, on their perceptions of their managers’ leadership style and leadership effectiveness. The results showed that there are no relationships between a manager’s emotional intelligence and leadership style or the leader’s perceived effectiveness. Implications for human resource development theory and practice are discussed.