| Leaders in business often misunderstand the integral role emotional intelligence plays in successfully leading organizations, and the employees that make up those organizations, to success. Studies exist providing data regarding what leaders are like, what leaders do, and how leaders make decisions. However, few studies have explored into the relationship between emotional intelligence and effective leadership. Although there are numerous ways effective leadership can be gauged, one sign of effective leadership can be seen in the way a leader chooses a leadership style with which to lead a team. This study integrated these two ideas and examined the impact of a leader's level of emotional intelligence on individual leadership style selection in the telecommunications industry. Level of emotional intelligence was measured by the Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and leadership style selection was measured by the Managerial Style Questionnaire (MSQ). Although many of the hypotheses of the study were not statistically supported by the data, the results from this study continue to add to the knowledge base existing on emotional intelligence and its relationship to leadership. This study also provides information regarding future research possibilities. |
