A leader must recognize their own emotion, manage their own emotion, self-talk to
resolve emotional conundrums, and attend to emotional cues (Clawson, 2009).
Moreover, as change agents, leaders must be emotionally comfortable with change
(Clawson, 2009). Leaders must not only understand what others are feeling, but also be
inspired to share what they are feeling (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009). This is not
always an easy endeavor, as leaders must recognize the volatility of emotions that prompt
immediate decisions to defuse a potentially harmful situation (Patterson, Grenny,
McMillan, & Switzler, 2005; Tichy & Bennis, 2007).
Empathy is a key competence for EI; it also portends an important skill for leaders
to have (Goleman, 1995, 1998, 2004; Hammett, Hollon, & Maggard, 2012; Hansen,
2009; Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Nelson, 2012). “Effective leaders walk in another’s
shoes to create genuine empathy ... followers need to know the leader can relate to their
feelings, concerns, and desires” (Blank, 2001, p. 62). According to Hargrove (2008),
leaders as empathetic coaches possess a “proven track record of emotional intelligence”
(p. 66). In their coaching role, leaders can leverage the positive, transformational entropy
of emotions (Hargrove, 2008; Tichy & Bennis, 2007). This may require influencing
followers to advance beyond an emotional comfort zone (Lencioni, 2005). Heifetz and
Linsky (2002) took departing the comfort zone one step further by suggesting that, when
influencing people through challenges, leaders “take them [the followers] on an
emotional roller coaster” (p. 117). As Cohen (2010) stated when citing lessons learned
from Drucker, leaders should be emotionally expressive and sensitive – yet in control.
Leadership and EI: An Evolving Relationship
important for leaders to understand the emotions and emotionality within organizations