Abstract
Emotional intelligence is understanding how the consequences of our actions have an effect on ourselves, and others. As an executive branch of the federal government the Department of Defense (DoD) is a complex world. Leaders within the DoD lead, and supervise personnel from many agencies and, if based in the overseas environment, many different cultures. Understanding and managing emotions allows leaders to display compassion when needed, motivate through communication, and build trusting relationship that allow collaboration across teams and cultures. Collaboration leads to innovation which in a fiscally constrained environment is critical. This Dissertation in Practice research was designed using a quantitative two-phased approach to understand what individual behavioral changes occurred in the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) Selfless Leadership Program (SLP) participants since completing the program. The aim of this study was to provide an evidence-based assessment of the effect of the program. Data was collected from the participants of the first five cohorts who completed the program. Analysis using ANOVA, and t-tests was performed to test the hypotheses formed in phases one and two. Statistically significant relationships between the SLP and global trait emotional intelligence and psychological empowerment were noted. The value of this research is in understanding the outcomes of a program designed to enhance the emotional intelligence of the participants and to measure the behavioral changes experienced by the participants who have completed the program.|Keywords: Emotional intelligence, self-awareness, trust, engagement