Emotional Intelligence and Business Success

Abstract

Business leaders impact their subordinate performance and attitudes through their leader behaviors and attitudes. This study discusses the potential impact of leader behaviors via emotional intelligence attributes on employee satisfaction and commitment to their leader and to the organization. The findings suggest strategies for enhancing leader behaviors to maximize positive individual-level and organization-level outcomes.

Methodology: This study presents a brief review of emotional intelligence and summarizes the current research on organizational leadership regarding how leader behaviors impact employee and organizational outcomes, especially employee satisfaction and commitment, two variables of interest in this study. Study data was collected via survey methodology, utilizing workers with full-time work positions across multiple industries.

Implications: This article contributes to the field of management by determining the impact and effect of leader behavior on employee satisfaction and commitment. Vast research to date has shown the overwhelming importance of high satisfaction and commitment among employees - both with their job and organization - toward improved performance, increased motivation, and reduced absenteeism and turnover, as examples. The results of the study are have implications for leader selection, training, and evaluation, employee retention, and succession strategies.

Keywords: leaders, emotional intelligence, employee commitment, employee satisfaction, organizational commitment