The Significance of Emotional Intelligence in Contemporary Leadership Techniques

Running head: ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
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1ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
Leadership can be regarded as a process whereby, an individual possess the
ability to influence others towards accomplishing and further attaining organizational
goals and success. The concept of trait leadership relies on the characteristics of
several leaders both who successful and unsuccessful and is further employed in order
to make assumptions of leadership value and effectiveness (Northouse 2017; pp2-6).
Several scholars have implemented the trait approach in order to recognize the
physiological, demographic as well as social characteristics with the presence of leader
emergence and the competence of the leader. This paper will intend to focus on trait
leadership and its theory. In addition to it, the paper will also evaluate the reasons why
basic intelligence is unable to suffice the leadership qualities of contemporary leaders
and the significance of emotional intelligence in contemporary leadership technique.
The trait theory of leadership primarily concentrates on the identification of varied
personality traits as well as characteristics, which are associated to successful
leadership practices catering varied situations (Meuser et al.; pp-1374-1403). It must be
noted that one of the earliest form of analysis into the nature of successful leadership
has been initially proposed by Thomas Carlyle. According to him, some of the influence
of trait leadership theory involves specific traits that give rise to certain behavioural
patterns, which maintain its consistency across varied situations (McCleskey 2014;
pp.76-93).
Early trait leadership theorists believed that great leaders must possess basic
intelligence and certain job centric knowledge. In the early 20th Century, certain
leadership traits were investigated in order to determine what resulted certain individual
to become great leaders (Yin et al.; pp.137-145). However, aspects of basic intelligence

2ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
and achieving required technical skills and expertise are not adequate to attain
contemporary leadership techniques. In order to evaluate human factors at any
leadership scenario, the influence of emotions on the individuals have provided
immense contribution to the potential consequences. The notion of emotional
intelligence is referred as the skill to identify one’s own feeling, expressions and also of
others in order to enhance motivation in oneself as well as in others(Joseph et al.
2015;p-298). Leaders in contemporary situation are expected to accomplish effective
organizational consequences namely effectiveness, self-awareness, motivation, self-
regulation, performance and contentment. Emotional intelligence (EI) is broadly
regarded as a chief component of effective and successful leadership. It has been
proposed by some theorists that there is immense potentiality of emotional intelligence
to contribute to the success and achievement of leadership techniques in various ways
(Northouse 2017; pp2-6). The concept of emotional intelligence provides contribution to
leadership techniques by concentrating on five essential factors of leaders’ efficiency
(Romager, Hughes and Trimble 2017; pp-33-42). These elements are the growth and
development of shared objectives, establishing the realization of the significance of
work activities in the followers, reinforcing motivation, and self-regulation and
maintaining enthusiasm, acknowledging flexibility in the process of decision-making and
transformation, and further establishing meaningful recognition for the organization (Van
et al.2015; pp-411-420) . EI has the competence to read and comprehend others in the
social circumstances, in order to distinguish the factors of nuances related to emotional
responses and to utilize such skills and competencies to achieve valuable leadership as
well as team coordination and performance.