| Emotional intelligence and leadership have been hot topics for researchers, especially in the past ten years. Some researchers point to emotional intelligence as a vital component of effective leadership. However, very few emotional intelligence studies have taken place within the higher education context.; This study's purpose was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership within the higher education context, specifically within Division III college athletics. Data utilized in this study consisted of the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal - Multi Rater (EIA-MR) and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) results of 15 NCAA Division III college coaches. Both instruments were 360 degree multi-rater surveys which assessed how the coaches and the coaches' observers (supervisor, peers, and student-athletes) perceived the level of emotional intelligence and leadership in the coach.; Correlations, t-tests, and regressions were used to assess the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership, as well as, the relationship between self and other perceptions. Large correlations were found between the observers' EIA-MR and LPI results. In addition, regression analysis was significant for predicting leadership with emotional intelligence. T-test results indicated that female coaches rated themselves higher for both emotional intelligence and leadership. Likewise, student-athletes rated female coaches higher in both categories.; This study provided some support for the notion that there is a relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership in college coaches. It also provided evidence that emotional intelligence has predictive value in understanding a coach's leadership as perceived by the coach's supervisor, peers and student-athletes.; A few recommendations for future research were made based on this study's results. One recommendation is to introduce an emotional intelligence developmental program for selected coaches and conduct a longitudinal study using an experimental design over a four year period to determine if emotional intelligence can be improved and if improving emotional intelligence leads to improvements in perceived leadership. A second recommendation is to conduct research on emotional intelligence in college coaches that investigates potential relationships with measures of coaching effectiveness such as win/loss record, graduation rate, team grade point average, and/or recruit quality. |
