Emotional intelligence: A key for Human Capital Sustainability Leadership beyond personality traits

The current economic crisis threatens the quality of working life. In this scenario, according to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, the issues of sustainability and sustainable development have become urgent also for human resources in organizations. The present study aimed at examining the relationships between trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Human Capital Sustainability Leadership (HCSL), controlling for personality traits. One hundred sixty-seven Italian workers were administered the Big Five Questionnaire, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short, the Human Capital Sustainability Leadership Scale. Results showed that trait EI added a percentage of incremental variance beyond personality traits in relation to HCSL. Trait EI could be a promising resource for HCSL in strength-based prevention perspectives for healthy organizations.