Leaders' Emotional Intelligence Influencing Employees' Emotions: An Empirical Investigation in the Public Sector

Abstract

Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be defined as recognising our own and others' feelings, motivating ourselves, and effectively managing emotions in ourselves and relationships (Goleman, 2009). Emotional intelligence has garnered much attention in management literature, particularly in the leadership domain, apart from the increasing number of studies in the industrial-organisational psychology discipline. Emotional intelligence is linked to observing team members' behaviour, adjusting the team's direction, and encouraging and convincing members, all of which are crucial in developing effective leadership (Lehner, 2020). Effective leaders may show employees how to complete their obligations more efficiently and effectively and provide solutions to complex problems that they cannot solve on their own. Furthermore, effective leaders are concerned with ethics since ethical leaders are significant with the fair treatment of their subordinates and two-way communication, significantly minimising stress and emotional distress among employees (Lee et al., 2021). Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Employees' Emotions, Leadership, Public Sector