The five emotional intelligence or EI competencies are:

• Self-Awareness—the ability to be aware of your feelings and the feelings of others.
• Self-Regulation—the ability to regulate your reactions to emotions.
• Self-Motivation—the ability to motivate yourself.
• Empathy—the ability to recognize and respond appropriately to others’ emotions.
• Effective Relationships—the ability to influence and persuade others for the good of all.

Emotional Intelligence competencies are critical to the role of a leader.  It is a fairly accepted fact that leaders (both formal and informal) can set the tone for an entire organization.  If the leader is optimistic and confident, the team members are more likely to mirror that attitude as well.   In the book, Primal Leadership, co-authored by Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, a study is cited that indicates 75% of the time climate alone accurately distinguished high profit and growth companies from the low.  And the climate or environment of an organization is greatly influenced by its leaders.  Goleman suggests that driving emotions in the right direction is the primary job of leaders from boardrooms to shop floors.   Effective leaders use their emotional intelligence to first and foremost keep their own emotions in a healthy state.  In addition, they build consensus and support for organizational goals and objectives, as well as motivate and inspire themselves and others to achieve those goals.