Emotional intelligence and leadership

Résumé du document

For a very long time, in common sense, the only intelligence was measured by the intelligence quotient. Indeed, in each company, intellectual intelligence took precedence over the other kinds of intelligence. People who showed their emotions were seen as weak persons. This period is completed. A concept is emerging for a few years, the one of emotional intelligence as factor of leader's success. Indeed, many researchers worked about emotional intelligence and its role on individual's behaviour. Effective, flexible, ethical? What competences must have a leader? What is emotional intelligence? What is the link with leadership? So many questions will be explained in this report. After an explanation about what emotional intelligence is and the importance of leadership in the workplace, the link between these two concepts will be studied. The last part of the report will focus on emotional intelligence and trainings.

Extraits

[...] Emotional intelligence comes here into game. Thanks to that, leaders are humanized. As we can read in the text emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness from Kerr et al, emotional intelligence is a determinant of effective leadership”. We can read in this document that leaders are now persons who listen and provide feedback. According to George (2000), “emotionally intelligent leaders can promote effectiveness at all levels in organisations”. A leader who has a high level of EI seems to be better able to understand employees. [...]

[...] According to Humphrey (2002), leadership is process of social interaction where the leader's ability to influence the behaviour of their followers can strongly influence performance outcomes”. This sentence shows that leaders are very important in the workplace: they represent pillars, examples for the other employees. Company's viability is between their hands. As Higgs said, centuries we have been obsessed with leaders and with identifying the characteristics required for effective leaders”. Consequently, we are going to see now if emotional intelligence is an adequate skill for leaders. Emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness What is really a good leader? [...]

[...] That a good leader must not drop the emotional field! To sum up, we can assert that the activities of an organisation can only be achieved thought the combined efforts of its members. The relationship between the organisation and its members is governed by what motivates them to work and the satisfaction they derive from it. The company must know how best to motivate employees so that they work willingly and effectively. The contrary can be dangerous for the organisation. [...]

[...] In 2002, he launched a campaign around the topic “positive owners”. Many events have changed the face of the world, such as the attacks of September Many firms were destroyed in the twin towers collapse. The leaders of the world showed their emotions, as for example the United States president, the mayor of New York and the owners of the companies touched by the catastrophe. Consequently, we have seen that today's business environment is changing. We are in a new time, in which feelings are less and less hidden. [...]

[...] Emotional intelligence and its relationship to workplace performance outcomes of leadership effectiveness, Emerald. Sivanathan, N. Fekken, GC. Emotional intelligence, moral reasoning and transformational leadership, Emerald. Tischler, L et al. Linking emotional intelligence, spirituality and workplace performance, Emerald (2002), l'émotionnel peut-il faire la différence entre les bons et les mauvais leaders? (Can emotional do the difference between good and bad leaders?) l'Expansion (2004), Leadership et intelligence emotionnelle, PricewaterhouseCoopers. [...]