Effective leaders can use their emotions in a positive way to benefit their organization, their employees, and stakeholders. Dye and Garman (2006) state, “The most effective leaders have a deeper understanding of their emotion” (p. 18), in their discussion of emotional intelligence (EI) and why it is important.
Over the last several years, organizations that are actively engaged in leadership development have expressed keen interest in understanding EI. Research suggests that EI may be more important than intellectual intelligence in determining leadership success, and leadership development programs may offer better outcomes if EI is better understood (Sadri, 2012).