Abstract: Emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of every decision a principal makes; solving problems and making judgments are part of a leader's system of values and beliefs. Mayer and Salovney (1997) described emotionally intelligent leaders as those who are able to perceive and understand emotions and to regulate emotions to foster emotional and intellectual growth. Despite misconceptions about the influence of emotional intelligence on organizational efficacy, school leaders are incapable of divesting their personal feelings from professional decisions. George (2008) suggested that there are four dimensions of emotional intelligence: expressing emotions, using them to improve decision making, knowledge about emotions, and managing emotions. A principal's emotional intelligence skills are vital to collaborative efforts to increase student achievement and to ensure the well-being of a school as a learning community.

AVAILABLE AT: http://cnx.org/content/m32314/latest/

Keywords: emotional intelligence, education leadership, decision making

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