Eureka! Institutional Repository

Nowadays, emotional intelligence is considered to be of high value and a very important factor in shaping and applying a successful leadership. At the dawn of 21st century, it is generally admitted that a modern leader should be able, apart from his technical academic qualification, to open channels of communication, to be initiative, to cultivate a climate of mutual trust, to motivate, to inspire, to lead, to support, to provide feed-back, to listen, to discuss, to create a vision. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between managerial emotional intelligence levels and a rating of leadership effectiveness, highlighting at the same time, the key role of enhancing the efficiency of the public sector. The method used was that of a qualitative research (case study: Region of Central Macedonia). In particular, the study was conducted by interviewing directors of various sectors of the Region of Central Macedonia. The questionnaire used was semi-structured. Their answers were recorded, studied, analyzed and the results of the survey were then compared to various Greek and international studies and surveys. Due to the fact that emotional intelligence is considered to be an intangible attribute which plays an important role, not only to the kind of leadership that is applied, but also to the way in which the public administration is organized and operates, it is of high importance more studies to farther investigate the subject.