Are High EQ Managers Better Leaders, or Just Better Liked? A Look at the Evidence

Managers with high emotional intelligence (EQ) tend to be well-liked by their employees, for reasons that make sense. People with high EQ can interpret the mood of the room, empathize with those who are struggling, stay resilient under pressure, and respond appropriately in virtually all situations. We associate these behaviors with professionalism and emotional maturity. If asked to review this manager’s performance, the chances are their employees would only have good things to say.

Which raises an interesting question: are emotionally intelligent leaders given high marks just because they’re likable, or because they use their EQ in a way that gives them a leadership edge? 

Thanks to nearly three decades of research, we can now provide a definitive answer. Dozens of studies have revealed that emotional intelligence has a far greater impact on a leader’s ability than simply making them more likable. Likability helps, but it only scratches the surface of why EQ is so essential to effective leadership.

EQ and Leadership: A Review of the Literature

The most extensive study to date on the influence of EQ on leadership performance was published in 2025 in the journal Human Resource Development Review. 

For this project, a team of researchers collected data from more than 100 studies carried out between the years 1999 and 2021, all of which explored the relationship between effective leadership and high levels of EQ. These studies evaluated the performance of managers, supervisors and team leaders from a variety of industries, who worked for private companies or public organizations from all continents and geographical regions. Emotional intelligence was measured using established surveys, along with reports from the leaders themselves and the employees they were assigned to manage.

After completing this systematic review, the researchers found a clear and unmistakable correlation between high EQ and superior leadership. These studies looked at the impact of EQ on a variety of leadership styles, and a positive relationship was found in almost every instance.

EQ, the heart of transformational leadership

For example, the researchers discovered a strong link between effective transformational leadership and high emotional intelligence. 

Transformational leadership is one of the most ambitious and influential leadership styles because it aims to inspire and empower employees to continually improve. Leaders who use this approach focus on building a culture of innovation and shared purpose. They motivate people to think differently and engage them on an emotional level while modelling performance-enhancing traits such as adaptability, resilience, humility, creativity, accountability, and poise under pressure.

Each of these traits reflects high emotional intelligence. While EQ-driven transformational leaders may be well-liked, their true strength lies in their ability to inspire, unify and motivate teams.

EQ also enhances transactional leadership

One well-known alternative to transformational leadership is transactional leadership, which takes a more structured approach to motivation. Transactional leaders set goals or expectations, and deliver rewards or consequences depending on whether the goals are met.  It’s a model rooted in process and accountability rather than inspiration or shared vision.

Even so, researchers found that transactional leaders with high EQ were more effective than their low-EQ counterparts. They didn’t examine the cause directly, but it’s plausible that emotionally intelligent transactional leaders communicate expectations more clearly to gain buy‑in from their staff, and set goals their teams can realistically achieve.

In these cases, likeability plays little or no role. What matters is that EQ enables leaders to connect in ways that drive results—demonstrating again that emotional intelligence strengthens performance across leadership styles.

EQ is valuable for servant leaders too

Servant leaders, or relationship-focused leaders, focus primarily on the professional growth and personal well-being of the people they’re assigned to lead. They support the empowerment of individual workers and the full development of their talents and abilities, knowing this will benefit their companies in the long run.

As the research shows, servant leaders who possess a high EQ seem to be more in tune with their team members’ emotional needs. They use these insights to customize their approach for each employee they deal with, increasing their ability to bring out the best in everyone.

The same holds true for managers who rely on Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory to achieve outstanding results. In LMX, the focus is on building high-quality, respectful relationships with each employee, and conversations focus on finding solutions, not pointing the finger or playing the blame game. Studies show it’s much easier for leaders who have a high EQ to follow this approach. 

EQ is a Two-Way Street

At first consideration, these findings might support the idea that high-EQ leaders get results by making a big effort to be likable. But studies have discovered something fascinating: the best relationships are formed when managers and employees both have a high EQ.

If being liked was the decisive factor for high EQ leaders, it wouldn’t matter whether their employees had a high EQ or not. Their likability wouldn’t depend on this. What this finding suggests is that when emotional intelligence is a shared characteristic, it can form a powerful foundation for a relationship built on mutual understanding, empathy and respect, which represent something more than simple likability.

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in the 21st Century

If there’s ever been a time for leaders to hone their EQ skills, it is now. 

New technologies are accelerating the pace of change in the workplace like never before. The integration of artificial intelligence is proving particularly disruptive, with the radical implications of the shift to AI only beginning to be understood. Generational change is also making an impact, as younger workers—specifically Gen Zers—are displaying a different set of personality traits and expectations than older workers.

As a result of these transformative developments, the need for adaptable, even-tempered and empathetic leadership has never been more urgent than it is right now. Managers with strong interpersonal skills are coveted in every industry, and the demand for their services will only grow in the years to come.

Fortunately, EQ is not a fixed set of behaviors of traits. There are strategies that can help anyone improve their emotional intelligence, even those who feel they have a bit more work to do in this area. 

If you aren’t sure where you currently stand on the EQ scale, Truity’s five-dimension Emotional Intelligence (EQ) assessment will show you where you’re strong, and where there’s room for improvement. Your future in management could be exceptionally bright, if you’re willing to make the development of your emotional intelligence a major career priority.