Background: The concept of emotional intelligence is a variable that has recently
gained much popularity as a potential underlying attribute of effective leadership. Objective:
The aim of the present study is to identify the relationship between emotional intelligence and
effective leadership. Setting: The study has been carried out in all in-patient medical (N=23)
and surgical (N=15) units at Alexandria Main University Hospital. Subjects: Subjects
included “200" staff nurses and 38 “first line nurse managers". Tools: Two tools were used
namely, “Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale" (WLEIS), and “the Multifactor
Leadership Questionnaire" (MLQ 360 degree feedback). Results: Results of this study
provide evidence to support the idea that emotional intelligence is positively related to the
transformational leadership style, leadership effectiveness, and transactional leadership.
Recommendations: Recommendations of this study are geared towards developing emotional
intelligence among different levels of nursing administrators through enhancing working
environments with open communication between staff and their managers, fostering team
building and motivation.