Emotional Intelligence and Leadership in Nursing practice

ABSTRACT Introduction: The need for emotionally intelligent leadership in healthcare professions is internationally recognized in the literature, with emotional intelligence being of particular value for nurses, who in great extent perform "emotional work". Nurse managers and leaders, in order to be effective in their duties, they should have the necessary leadership skills. Interpersonal skills have the main role and along with emotional intelligence. The aim of this paper is to review emotional intelligence in nursing leadership and nursing practice in general. Furthermore, the paper aimed at investigating the effects of Emotional Intelligence both on nursing staff and on the organizational level. The development of emotional intelligence is important for both nursing staff and nurse leaders and managers, as it is linked to multiple benefits, such as to improved nurses' performance, increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment for nurses. The important contribution of emotional intelligence in the nursing context and leadership highlights the need for integrating emotional intelligence and emotionally intelligent leadership into nursing education as well as for further research in this area.