Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: Building Stronger Workplace Relationships

 

Introduction

In today's business world, Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a key component of leadership capabilities. Leaders should have more than just the know-how; they should be able to feel and control their emotions and establish positive relationships with the employees. Emotional intelligence helps leaders communicate effectively, manage conflict, establish a positive work climate, boost employee motivation and participation and boost organizational performance (Singh et al., 2024).


Understanding Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to identify, comprehend, and regulate emotions in oneself and react to others' emotions. HRM contributes to emotionally intelligent leaders by creating trust, promoting teamwork and enhancing communication. HR practitioners can develop their emotional intelligence by training them as leaders, and in communication and coaching (Habib, Naqi and Ali, 2023).

Theory in Practice in HRM.

The four dimensions of Emotional Intelligence Theory are essential for good leadership: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills (Fripp, 2023). HR use these principles by identifying leaders who have good interpersonal skills and introducing ongoing leadership development courses.

 

Benefits and Challenges

A leader with emotional intelligence boosts the motivation of employees, teamwork and relationship between employees and the workplace. It also facilitates organizations' change management and dealing with conflicts at the workplace. But EI is not a fixed construct and it can be challenging to assess it reliably in a recruitment process and on the job. Both employee wellbeing and organizational resilience and continuous learning in the workplace are also enhanced by these leadership behaviours (Maldonado and Márquez, 2023).



Organizational Example

Google fosters emotionally intelligent leadership by designing leadership development initiatives focusing on empathy, collaboration, and effective communication (Kruse, 2025). Likewise, Dialog Axiata PLC creates leaders for their people through leadership development and employee engagement programs that enhance communication and collaboration (DialogAxiata, 2025).

Personal Perspective

It is my view that emotional intelligence is one of the most vital attribute sets of an effective leader. When leaders have insight into and cultivate appropriate relationships with employees, trust and motivation for increased employee performance are higher.

Key Takeaways

Emotional intelligence is a great tool for HR to use to build leaders who motivate the employees, improve relationships in the workplace, and drive organizational success.


Suggested Video

https://youtu.be/-qmLoJ7-A80?si=uMSYIjWN_k1Px19Y

References

DialogAxiata (2025). Dialog Wins National Award for DEI Leadership in Corporate Sector. [online] Dialog Axiata PLC. Available at: https://dialog.lk/news/dialog-wins-national-award-for-dei-leadership-in-corporate-sector?language=en.

Fripp, G. (2023). Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Framework‍ - Organizational Behavior. [online] www.myorganisationalbehaviour.com. Available at: https://www.myorganisationalbehaviour.com/golemans-emotional-intelligence-framework/.

Habib, M., Naqi, S.M.A. and Ali, M. (2023). Emotional intelligence: Understanding, assessing, and cultivating the key to personal and professional success. sjesr, [online] 6(2), pp.50–55. doi:10.36902/sjesr-vol6-iss2-2023(50-55).

Kruse, K. (2025). How Google Builds Emotionally Intelligent Leaders in AI Era. Forbes. [online] 18 Nov. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2025/11/18/how-google-develops-emotionally-intelligent-leaders-in-the-ai-era/.

Maldonado, I.C. and Márquez, M.-D.B. (2023). Emotional intelligence, leadership, and work teams: A hybrid literature review. Heliyon, [online] 9(10), pp.1–19. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20356.

Singh, K., Prakash, R., Rajpoot, H.S., Satapathy, P. and Rajpoot, S. (2024). The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Effective Leadership and Decision- Making. Library Progress (International), [online] 44(3)(2024/12), pp.P.7329–7338. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384647961_The_Role_of_Emotional_Intelligence_in_Effective_Leadership_and_Decision-_Making. 


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