Abstract:
South African leaders serving a financial role within the corporate
sector are prone to experience burnout due to the nature of their jobs. These
leaders are also usually not inclined to regulate and manage emotions
effectively. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of emotional
intelligence in the experience of burnout. Quantitative data was obtained from
financial leaders (n = 100). First, it was determined who were suffering from
burnout. This was followed by MANOVAs to determine if these groups
differed with regards to the display of emotional intelligence. Thereafter,
stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine the extent to which
emotional intelligence could predict the occurrence of burnout. Findings
suggested that financial leaders who measure high on emotional intelligence
were less at risk of experiencing burnout. It was also discovered that emotional
self-management and emotional management of others were significant
predictors of burnout.
