Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

courses of action. EI developmental experiences caused the participants to think through
what had occurred and decide how to act based on the new information. In some
instances, the participants assimilated or accommodated the new knowledge (Kolb,
1984). In other instances, the participants learned what behaviors should not be
replicated in order to continue honing their EI.
EI development considered other factors besides self-awareness. Gender was
considered in the EI developmental context from the standpoint of how gender roles and
relationships have evolved. Gender also played a role for at least one participant in terms
of family dynamics and how dealing with the other gender shaped his EI. In a similar
vein, a few participants believed that having an introverted personality impacted their
ability to harness EI that might be more natural for an extrovert. The self-identified
introverts who participated in this study believed personality to be a factor as regards the
fluidity with which a leader can tap into EI. Lastly and in the same manner, maturity was
discussed in terms of biological age and the degree of EI developmental competence.
Coupled with this diverse array of settings were perspectives on personal
leadership, family influence, and values. It appears that a primary tenet of Nelson and
Low’s (2011) transformative EI learning model – productive reactions to the demands
and pressures of life and work – resonated with several participants. Subjects spoke of
survival, crises, conflicts, hardships, and navigating through inordinately challenging
environments as being notable contributions to developing their EI. Crises of a personal
nature, including family dynamics, were also mentioned.
Figure 5.1 summarizes Conclusion 1 in illustrative form.