Participants also identified factors such as gender, maturity, and personality (among
others) that influence EI development. Perhaps, this study provides greater clarity
towards understanding the association between EI and leadership, as offered in the
discourse by Antonakis, Ashkanasy and Dasborough (2009). This study adds an
incremental contribution to the empirical evidence on EI and the imperative for leaders to
leverage EI, in order to achieve career success and personal excellence (Nelson & Low,
2011).
- Importance of insight into the reality of effective Federal government
leaders, to include building EI. Yukl (2010) described effective leaders as the extent of
goal or performance attainment, follower attitudes about the leader, leader’s contributions
as perceived by followers, and the degree of career success. As shown in Table 5. 1
above, EI impacts several dimensions of effective leadership characteristics offered by
Yukl (2010). Chapter 2 identified many studies associating EI with effective leadership.
Prior to this study, what was not found was empirical research of any kind on how
Federal government leaders perceived EI and, specifically, how they experienced their
own EI development. Some of those participants had both private and public sector
experience; without exception, those participants spoke of the complex leadership
challenges (e.g., political and bureaucratic landscape) unique to the Federal government
milieu. Although the target population was inherently small for this qualitative study,
experienced and effective Federal government leaders were asked, perhaps for the first
time, to elaborate on their EI developmental perspectives. The refreshing, surprising,
candid, and descriptive experiences shared by these leaders is largely unprecedented in a