Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

Emotionally intelligent managers/leaders were presented as pivotal to the organizational success of talent retention, discretionary effort and employment brand missions in a study conducted by researchers Benjamin R. Palmer and Gilles Gignac.

The authors presented the findings of their study examining the relationship between the emotional intelligence (EQ) of managers and levels of engagement among their staff, believing that the information may prove useful to those who are challenged with the task of improving employee engagement and organizational performance more broadly.

The authors defined engaged employees as those who promote the organization they work for as a great place to work; willingly perform above and beyond what is expected of them; and remain committed (i.e. not intending to quit), even when the conditions in which they work become difficult.

Managers high in EQ may be considered to be self-aware (i.e. they are conscious of the impact they can have on others); empathetic (i.e. they can accurately perceive and understand the feelings of others and demonstrate this understanding to others); effectively regulate and manage their own emotions such that for the most part they role model appropriate behavior; and can positively influence the feelings of others.

The more emotionally intelligent manager was (as rated by their direct reports), the more likely their staff would be to demonstrate the value creating behaviors that define employee engagement. In their study, the authors discuss the implications of these findings for the area of EQ, and more is presented online at XFLLetter.com in terms of strategies for building and maintaining the outcomes of employee engagement, specifically employment brand (the way prospective and existing employees perceive and organization as an employer), productivity and talent retention.

Here is the link to the study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241701102_The_impact_of_emotionally_intelligent_leadership_on_talent_retention_discretionary_effort_and_employment_brand