The Role of Emotional and Social Intelligence in Nursing Leadership

This essay delves into the critical role of emotional intelligence (EI) and social intelligence (SI) in nursing leadership. It contrasts EI and SI, highlighting their benefits for nurses and their impact on patient care and professional relationships. The essay explores how understanding EI and SI can enhance or hinder leadership capabilities within a healthcare setting. A significant portion of the essay is dedicated to a practical application using John's model for structured reflection, analyzing a real-life scenario involving a patient with schizophrenia and the nurse's emotional response. The analysis includes the description of the situation, reflection on the nurse's feelings and actions, identification of influencing factors, and an assessment of alternative approaches and learning outcomes. The student also undertook the Maetrix Emotional Intelligence Test to assess self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management.

Running head: NURSING LEADERSHIP
NURSING LEADERSHIP
Student Name
University Name
Author Note

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Introduction
In the profession of nursing, there is an increased demand of an individual who would
be a great leader. Leadership is a skill that an individual must possess to guide and make the
subordinates accomplish a goal for the betterment of the organization. It is the characteristics
of a great leader to mould other individuals in the team for increasing the efficiency in
delivering the care. In nursing, nurses play a key role in leading the organization. Nurses are
a part of situations where their critical thinking is required to solve the issue efficiently
(Grossman & Valigia, 2017). It is researched that nursing professionals who have high
emotional quotient tend to have more positive relationship building abilities with patients and
colleagues. Many studies have been conducted where it is found that nurses with higher
emotional intelligence are better leaders with less work exhaustion. The interaction of the
nurses with the people outside of their profession can be termed as a social interaction which
plays a key role in building healthy social intelligence quotient. In the following essay, a
comparison between the emotional and the social intelligence and the benefits will be
discussed. In addition to that, a work situation will be presented using the John’s model for
structured reflection to critically evaluate the areas where improvement is required.
Compare and contrast EI and SI. Discuss how understanding EI and SI may benefit you
and those you work with. How can it help or hinder your current and potential
leadership ability?
It has been observed that organizations have been recruiting psychologists for the
evaluation of their employees in the emotional and the social intelligence aspect. According
to Goleman, (2004), cognitive skills like broader vision and intellect of an individual drive
outstanding performance for the employee towards the organization. It was also reported that
higher the rank of the employee in the organization, higher is the efficiency for the

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management of their emotional and social intelligence. In the healthcare sector, the nurses are
to possess different skill sets in meeting the requirements and providing the holistic care to
the patient as well as their families. Intelligence is the ability of the individual in problem
solving and linguistic procurement. Each and every human being possesses different variants
of intelligence which will generate different kinds of productivity for the organization they
are working for (Piaget & Inhelder, 2015). Emotional intelligence is a variant of intelligence
that mainly circles around the ability of the individual to identify and manage their and others
emotions to a satisfactory level. Social intelligence can be regarded as an individual’s ability
to interpret and learn from the failures that are taking place in a social setting.
Individuals who have been found to possess higher emotional intelligence are
emotionally aware with proper management and application of their emotions in critically
resolving problems and controlling their emotions as well as others (Rezvani et al., 2016).
For the proper evaluation of the emotional intelligence of an individual in an organization,
self-awareness and self-regulation is assessed. Self-awareness is the person’s ability to
understand their own strengths and weaknesses. The individual is honest with themselves
about their needs, beliefs and emotions (Rasheed, 2015). It is easier for a self-aware person to
recognize the effect their emotions will have on them, other people and job performance.
Understanding of their values and goals is extended in a self-aware individual. Low self-
awareness of an individual can give rise to inner turmoil and confusion regarding their goals
in life. Self-regulation is the controllability factor of an individual towards their emotions
while responding to critical situations. Being able to adapt to different situations and working
with various kinds of people increases the flexibility of the individual. Achieving self-drawn
goals increases the efficiency of the performance to excel in their profession.
Individuals who possess higher social intelligence tend to have some critical
behaviour which distinguishes them from people with lower social intelligence. Social

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expressive skills are one of the behaviour which is prevalent in individuals who fluently
converse with people belonging from different backgrounds with suitable and thoughtful
usage of words. Active listening is an important skill which is present in socially intelligent
individuals to listen to the needs of the patient or the customer with great detail. This helps in
building trust with the surrounding people by playing different social roles to adapt to the
situation. In a social setting, there are many people who possess different kinds of
personalities. These need to be managed efficiently by individuals who have a high social
intelligence quotient. As proposed by Goleman, for the evaluation of social intelligence in an
individual, social awareness and relationship management are to be tested. These are the two
quadrants which are a part of the evaluation of emotional intelligence in an individual. The
social awareness deals with the person’s ability to exhibit empathy and acknowledge the
differing emotional needs of the individual (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008). The relationship
management encircles around the point that a relationship needs to be built with the patient
by the nurse to win their trust and help them in effective communication of their needs and
distresses. A proper relationship among the nurses and the management professionals will
ensure less conflicts and higher profitable outcomes for the organization. In the Christian
viewpoint, human beings are not self-sufficient who influence others on the basis of the
choices they make. According to the Chapter 3 of John in The Bible, doing well to
individuals will grant peace and arrive towards the light which will be evident in the sight of
God ("JOHN CHAPTER 3 KJV", 2019). Not doing good will bring darkness in their lives for
which they will not be granted after life. In the Christian worldview, professional nurses who
practice Christianity are dedicated to deliver the patients with the holistic care for the
betterment in their health. It is also stated that the nursing professionals should always
shower love to other individuals. It is with the help of Jesus who have showed us the path to

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true enlightenment that we have understood the importance power and motivation for
delivering the best care to the patients.
The emotional and social intelligence are interconnected which the nurses in the
healthcare sector should imbibe to provide the patient with quality care. The emotional
awareness of the nurses should be high to experience less issues in the workplace. Problem
solving and critical thinking abilities are two of the most important aspects which need to be
present in the nursing professionals to control their and other’s feelings and emotions. Lack
of self-awareness among the nurses can impact the quality of care they will be delivering to
the patient. High emotional and social intelligence can increase the efficiency of the nurse.
Reflection on the EI results
The Maetrix Emotional Intelligence Test was undertaken by the student who had
scored 6 in self-awareness, 8 in self-management, 9 in social awareness and 9 in relationship
management. The self-awareness is the acknowledgement of the person towards their
strengths and weaknesses. The student scored a 6 in this section which implemented that
there was minimum perception of the beliefs and values that were known by the student. The
student may have not known characteristically their strengths and weaknesses. Self-
regulation is the management of the emotions in a critical situation. The student scored an 8
which implicated that the student had an appropriate control over their emotions during the
situation. The usage of correct skills and strategies were used by the student which helped in
providing the best quality care to the patient. Knowing the differing emotional requirements
of an individual are achieved when an individual is socially aware. In the test, the student had
scored a 9 which implicated that the student had a high understanding of their perception and
had an immense ability to cater to the needs of the patient with fitting decisions that will
improve the condition of the patient, themselves and the organization. Relationship

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management mainly delves around the efficient trust build-up among the nurse and the
patient with effective communication. While undertaking the test, the student had scored a 9
which made it clear that the student has a high ability to tolerate the differences and rejections
in the organization with prompt emotions. The student had shown impeccable performance in
building an effective trust with the patient.
John’s Model for Structured Reflection
On the basis of the test results of the Emotional Intelligence Test, a following scenario
will be discussed to make it easier to understand where the problems existed and what was
learned from the experience (Giese, 2016).
Description
A 48-year-old patient was admitted to my hospital who was suffering from
schizophrenia. He was diagnosed with this condition three years ago. But the situation
worsened when his sister passed away from a car accident. This incidence has created an
emotional turmoil inside him which decreased his emotional stability and increased his
occurrence of hallucinations of his sister. During one of the illusions, he went to the terrace of
his house and tried to suicide. Their house was two-storey for which the impact on the patient
was greatly reduced. The patient suffered concussion with fractures in the left arm and the
thigh. He was brought while being unconscious and a preliminary assessment was carried
out. This situation made me remember of my mother who suicided at the age of 45. She was
clinically depressed which overwhelmed me with emotion of a similar kind of situation. The
wife of the patient was unaware as to where to approach for treatment. I came to help while
being anxious and cautious to not cause extra harm to the patient. It was my duty to provide
assistance in the form of emotional support to the wife of the patient which I failed to deliver

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because of my inability to contain my personal emotions. I was unable to make any decision
because of my personal experiences encircling around a similar situation.
Reflection
I was trying to contain my personal emotions while delivering optimum care to the
patient as well as the wife. I was unable to do so because of facing the same situation with my
mother. She was a clinically depressed patient who attempted suicide and later succumbed to
her injuries. The whole trauma that I had to undergo with my mother came back and caused
anxiety inside me while dealing with the patient. Hence, I was unable to deliver the best care.
When the wife asked me whom to approach in a situation like this, I was completely dazed
and did not pay attention to what the wife was saying. This made me point in a direction
where nothing was available and the wife looked at me in confusion. This delayed the patient
in arriving at the right place to the right person.
Influencing Factor
The internal factor which influenced my decision making was my past experiences of
facing a similar situation like this with my mother and also trying to comprehend the situation
effectively to solve the problem. The external factor which influenced my decision making is
time pressure. The sources of knowledge that did influence my decision-making process was
psychodynamic theories while I demonstrated to trying to contain my overwhelming
emotions.
Could I have dealt with it better?
I could have been clearer in containing my emotions and responding to the queries of
the wife efficiently. This would have led to faster treatment and better patient feedback
towards the efficiency of its employees. I could have called another nurse in my place to
provide with the necessary assistance to avoid any further escalation of the condition. This

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way, I would have felt relieved to provide the patient with the care despite being emotionally
vulnerable to a situation like this.
Learning
This experience has helped me in learning the weaknesses of notwithstanding the
emotional turmoil and memories that had resurfaced while looking at the patient brought in
the exact same way as my mother. It gave me deep insight into the critical thinking abilities
that I need to work on to help the families of the patient in this critical situation. Nursing
professionals is provided training with an educator to learn about the specific skills. The
nurse should increase self-awareness and relationship management by resolving conflicts in
the workplace and being always open to effective learning by their peers and seniors.
Developing the strengths with proper identification of the weaknesses of the individuals will
help in an efficient leadership quality in the individual.
Conclusion
Finally, it can be concluded that leadership is an essential skills which need to be
present in the working professionals in all sectors bur especially in healthcare. The nurses are
the key players in improving the quality of care with a holistic approach towards the patient.
Leadership in healthcare is generally observed in nurses with them providing accurate
information to the patient and their family members at all times. The John’s Model for
Structured reflection has helped in proper evaluation of the mistake in the nursing practice.
Emotional and social intelligence are the critical evaluators in a working environment which
need to be present in all working professionals to reach theirs and organizational goals. An
effective leader in the healthcare sector will ensure proper functioning of the hospital with
proper care to be provided to the patient.

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References
Giese, K. K. (2015). Self-reflection: Relationship building in patients with excess weight. The
Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 12(1), e7-e10. Doi: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2015.06.015
Goleman, D. & Boyatzis, R. (2008). Social Intelligence and the biology of leadership.
Harvard Business Review. 86(9), 74-81. Retrieved 2 September 2019, from
https://hbr.org/2008/09/social-intelligence-and-the-biology-of-leadership
Goleman, D. (2004). What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review, 82(1), 82-91. Reprint
R0401H. Retrieved 2 September 2019, from https://hbr.org/2004/01/what-makes-a-
leader
Grossman, S., & Valiga, T. M. (2016). The new leadership challenge: Creating the future of
nursing. FA Davis. ISBN: 9780803657663
JOHN CHAPTER 3 KJV. (2019). Retrieved 2 September 2019, from
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-Chapter-3/
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http://www.internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org/docs/24-%20Review-
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Appendix with the result of the EI test displayed