ASPECTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP:AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE INDIAN ARMED FORCES

Emotional intelligence is the aggregate of the strengths and weaknesses of one's emotional competencies. In organizations like Defence services where values are embodied in the conduct of its leadership, their behavior may dictate the emotional health and performance of the organization. The present work is aimed at mapping the EI scores of 345 promising senior officers of Armed Forces to identify their success in leading troops. While quantitative analysis is adopted to identify variations across the services, qualitative analysis is followed to identify core values and attributes of leadership, which are valued most by the soldiers, and factors that affect the emotions of soldiers. A way-forward strategy is suggested in building up effective leaders for meeting tomorrow's challenge