Leading with emotion: Is EI a better predictor of leadership success?

We start by asking: is it possible to develop and measure emotional intelligence (EI)? Is EI a better predictor of performance and leadership than traditional measures of intelligence? Traditional measures of intelligence do not count for most variance in work performance. When IQ test scores are correlated with how well people perform in their jobs, the highest estimate of the IQ differences is about 25 percent. IQ will remain a predictor of which job, profession, or career path a person can follow. However, when it comes to whether a person will become a star performer or leader, IQ may be a less powerful predictor than EI.