Leadership case studies: considerations of elder emotional intelligence during the COVID-19 global pandemic

ABSTRACT

While many opine the criticality of leader Emotional Intelligence (EQ) (Goleman et al., 2004;Goleman, 2005;Boyatzis et al. 2011;Boyatzis et al. 2017;Hess & Bacigalupo, 2013;Galen, 2012), this research identified empathy as the sine qua non for leader EQ. Elders serve as the leadership for their congregation. Therefore, their inter-personal skills are crucial for inspiring and influencing followers for Kingdom work (White & Kimmons, 2019). Leaders are evaluated in three distinct skill sets (1) cognitive, (2) intra-personal, and (3) inter-personal (Boyatzis et al., 2011). These latter two skill sets are the sub-sets of EQ. For the last, although sympathy may be unattached or distant, empathy is connected and may even be close enough to effectively sense, interpret, and understand the thoughts of another (Pavlovich & Krahnke 2012). While religiosity may generally result in higher affective empathy, that enterprise considers the involvement of another's emotions. This research considers how the elder's empathic skills affect followers in the congregation and inspire them for Kingdom work. This research sets forth to consider the impact of the inter-personal skill set on the congregation. This research considers leader emotional intelligence (EQ), empathy, narcissism, and social networks and the relationship to followers. While there is a widening body of research concerning EQ among business leaders, and while some research concerns empathy and its antagonist narcissism, there is little research focused on church (Boyatzis, personal communication, 2019) and non-profit leader EQ or its effect on a volunteer workforce. Similar to efforts in for-profit settings, leaders in non-profit settings exercise influence to affect decisions. Leaders with higher EQ are more likely to assess their skills, and the skills of others, for the best alignment to achieve both organizational goals and promote individual and collective growth amongst followers (Hess & Bacigalupo, 2013). Modern considerations of EQ are based on previous concepts. Social intelligence is a complex pattern of behaviors which demonstrate skills related to personal interaction and adaptability. The individual situations and personal circumstances are all independent variables affecting those interactions (Strang, 1930). Gardner's original work in 1984 developed the construct for personal intelligence (2004). He posited that each of the elements of human learning and ability, including personal intelligence, have a separate lotus within the brain. These abilities become the intellectual aptitudes and problem-solving skills which generate the ability to resolve actual or perceived issues. As tacit knowledge develops, so does the ability to consistently complete a task or series of tasks or reach a goal. Often efforts become more efficient as tacit knowledge increases (Wagner & Sternberg, 1985). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)