[en] Nowadays we live in a world of constant change, where the main asset of organizations is human capital. Companies need to adapt to this highly changing environment. In this context, the role of the leader is crucial. The leader is a carrier of the organizational values and must lead and guide colleagues effectively. Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to identify, understand and manage emotions. By applying emotional intelligence, the leader will be more effective influencing colleagues and helping them with daily challenges and work pressure. The organizational outcome will be better teamwork, higher performance and improved business results. This study evaluates the importance of emotional intelligence as a leadership behavior to be applied in organizations, as well as the view of the employees about the role played by emotional intelligence in their organizations. The study also investigates if emotional intelligence and its associated behaviors have higher or lower importance than technical capability for achieving leadership excellence. According to the literature review, the factors that determine the right leadership skills are different depending on the context (Zenger and Folkman, 2002). The literature research completed provides a thorough review of the concept of emotional intelligence, its components and associated leadership styles. The review identified studies which detail the importance of the emotional intelligent leader in their organizations. The study includes a survey completed on employees of one private and one public organization. The survey investigated the relative importance of emotional intelligence in relation to technical capability in order to achieve leadership excellence.

[gl] Na actualidade atopámonos nun mundo en constante cambio, onde o principal activo das empresas é o capital humano e estas teñen que saber adaptarse a ambientes altamente cambiantes. Por iso o papel do líder, quen guía e encarna os valores da organización, é crucial. Neste contexto, onde as emocións cada vez teñen maior influenza sobre os demais, a intelixencia emocional, entendida coma a capacidade para identificar, entender e manexar as emocións, nos axudará a enfrontarnos diariamente a desafíos e traballos baixo presión á vez que melloramos as nosas competencias. Isto levaranos a un maior rendemento dos equipos de traballo e por ende a un maior resultado da empresa. O presente traballo valora a importancia da intelixencia emocional no liderado das organizacións e analiza a visión que teñen os empregados do papel que xoga a intelixencia emocional nos seus líderes. Ademais se estuda se os compoñentes relacionados coa intelixencia emocional teñen maior peso que as habilidades técnicas do líder, para alcanzar a excelencia no liderado. Asimesmo, a bibliografía apoia a idea de que en diferentes contextos variaría a importancia dos factores que condicionan a adecuación do liderado (Zenger y Folkman, 2002). A través da revisión bibliográfica afóndase no concepto da intelixencia emocional, seus compoñentes e estilos de liderado. A maiores móstranse estudos que indican a relevancia do líder emocionalmente intelixente na organización. Realízase un breve estudo de campo a fin de determinar en dous organizacións: unha pública e outra privada, o peso que os empregados lle dan a intelixencia emocional en relación ás habilidades técnicas a hora de achegar a excelencia nun líder.