Emotional intelligence (EI) is a fundamental component of successful leadership. This study examined the correlation between performance-based emotional intelligence (EI) and transformational leadership, as shown by participants in their professional roles, and leadership effectiveness as assessed by both superiors and subordinates. The sample consisted of 200 managers who took the Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso EI Test and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) 5X scale. The MLQ 5X scale and the effectiveness scale created by Shanock and Eisenberger (2006) were used to assess how well Superior thought leaders were. The Supervisory Leadership Survey created by Kerr, Garvin, Heaton, and Boyle (2006) was given to subordinates to find out what they thought about the efficacy of their supervisors. A Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated a strong positive link between subordinates’ opinion of leadership effectiveness and overall EQ (r = 0.27, p<0.01, n = 200), strategic EQ (r = 0.24, p<0.01, n = 200), and experience EQ (r = 0.20, p<0.01, n = 200). All transformative behaviors had a substantial positive link with perceived leadership effectiveness (r values ranging from 0.42 to 0.22, p<0.01). There was a strong positive link between perceived leadership effectiveness and strategic EQ (r = 0.18, p<0.01) as well as all transformational behaviors (r = 0.61 to 0.49, p<0.01) when superiors rated them. The findings of multiple regression analysis revealed that transformational leadership behaviors (β = 0.15, ΔR2 = 0.19, p<0.01) serve as positive predictors of subordinate leadership effectiveness, accounting for a variation of 23 percent.

Transformational behaviors accounted for 48 percent of the variation in the superior's opinion of leadership effectiveness (β = 0.27, ΔR2 = 0.19, p<0.01). In both instances, the emotional intelligence of the leader did not serve as a predictor of perceived effectiveness.