Trait emotional intelligence and leadership in a European multinational company

This study examined whether trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or emotional self-efficacy) can differentiate between leaders and non-leaders (N = 96) employed by a major multinational company in Europe. Available intelligence test scores along with age, gender, and tenure were used as control variables. Trait EI, cognitive ability, and gender were significant predictors in a logistic-regression model. Further, both leaders and non-leaders scored significantly higher on trait EI compared to the standardization sample of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (Petrides, 2009), though the effect size for the former (Cohen’s d = 2.80) was considerably larger than for the latter (Cohen’s d = 1.23). The results support the notion that leadership and management positions require high trait EI.