Investing in What Matters: The Impact of Emotional Intelligence and Executive Coaching on Leader Outcomes
Authors
Published
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research,
June
2019
Website
http://
dx.doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000141
Abstract
Emotional intelligence has been considered a hallmark of successful leaders for nearly three decades. During the same period, executive coaching emerged as a beneficial resource for leader development in organizations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of emotional and social competence (ESC) and executive coaching on leader job performance, personal vision, engagement, and career satisfaction. Eighty-five senior leaders in a North American financial services organization completed a leader development experience, which included classroom learning, ESC assessment using a multi-rater (or 360-degree) feedback instrument, and executive coaching to encourage ESC development. Survey responses were collected and triangulated with job performance data and 360-degree feedback. Results indicate that both ESC and quality of the coaching relationship relate to desired leader outcomes. Specifically, dimensions of ESC directly impact job performance and work engagement, and quality of the coaching relationship moderates the relationship between dimensions of leader ESC and work engagement and career satisfaction. Additional results of the study include the direct impact of the perceived quality of the coaching relationship on the crafting of a personal vision, work engagement, and career satisfaction. These results have important implications for both future research and practice.
