Effective leadership is extremely indispensable for the accomplishment of organizational goals through effective management of material as well as human resources. Effective leadership has long been viewed as extremely essential for the outstanding performance of educational institutions by ensuring a vibrant, encouraging, and conducive environment; making available sufficient resources; and promoting good interpersonal relationships and improving students’ achievement (Marzano et al., 2005; Kythreotis et al., 2010). Successful leaders know their feelings, weaknesses, and strengths, and they possess a powerful sagacity of self-respect and self-esteem. Prolific leadership exhibits discipline, controls undesirable sentiments, maintains integrity, and shows flexibility. A school head is required to apply emotional and general intelligence to fulfill these obligations and commitment to ensure efficiently the mandates of a nation and also fulfill the mission of educational institutions effectively (Pashiardis, 2011). A successful leader can accomplish the organizational goals effectively, smooths a way to accomplish collective and individual goals, distributing and utilizing inadequate resources to fulfill the fundamental requirements and demands of the public through effective handling of resources. Leaders should have the capability to manage emotional situations effectively, to fabricate trust and understanding rapidly, to listen well, and to motivate the subordinates (Arinze, 2011). Therefore, effective leadership is extensively believed to be an essential organizational constituent and performing an outstanding contributory role in promoting individuals’ well-being as well as organizational efficiency. Leaders are incapable to execute their responsibilities efficiently provided they are knowledgeable, emotionally intelligent, satisfied, and safe in a workplace (Pellitteri, 2002). It clearly indicates that leaders with problems may contribute to many displeasing and disagreeable issues for the organization and its employees which damagingly influence the organizational performance on the whole. Therefore, emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of individuals are the most leading and dominant variables responsible for outstanding performance.

Emotional intelligence has been recognized to be the most important conceptualization that is progressively recognized in social psychology. Recently, emotional intelligence has been given much concentration in research especially in psychological research. It is regarded as one of the crucial elements of a successful life as well as psychological well-being (Bar-On, 2001). It was primarily explained by Salovey et al. (1990) who expressed that emotional intelligence is a competency to possess emotional knowledge, to perceive and control emotions well, and to stimulate intellectual and emotional growth. Afterward, the authors presented a revised and comprehensive description of emotional intelligence as the capability to observe feelings, coordinate feelings to encourage thoughts, and understand and control feelings to stimulate self-improvement (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). Mayer et al. (1990) were familiar with their incredible contribution to the rise of emotional intelligence. Afterward, in 1995, the development of emotional intelligence construct commenced with the work of Daniel Goleman having an incredible contribution. Goleman (1995) characterizes emotional intelligence as an assortment of skills or capabilities, i.e. having the capability to propel oneself and continue despite hindrances, to deal with impulse and dissatisfaction, to manage one’s mindsets, to keep sufferings from influencing the capability to think, to sympathize, and to be hopeful. Goleman’s methodology is perceived as a mixed model of emotional intelligence, which depicts a series of abilities and competencies comprising in five key areas: self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, motivation, and empathy (Goleman, 1998). According to Bar-On (1997), emotional intelligence refers to a variety of non-intellectual competencies, capabilities, and skills which have an impact on one’s capability to do well with regard to the management of environmental demands and pressures. Bar-On (1997) classified emotional intelligence into five key parts, i.e. intrapersonal, adaptability, interpersonal, stress management, and general mood.

Emotional intelligence may be characterized as the capability to identify, persist, and control driving forces; communicate clearly; make incredible decisions; tackle issues; and perform with other individuals in such a way that makes companions and achievement (Stone et al., 1998). These competencies enable an individual to observe and control emotions, ensure poise and dignity, formulate objectives, promote empathy, ensure conflict resolutions, and promote competencies necessary for leadership and successful group participation (Elias, 2004). Bradberry and Greaves (2009) expressed that emotional intelligence is the individual’s ability, aptitude, recognition assignment, accurate appraisal, and management of his senses against other individuals and gatherings. The theories of emotional intelligence have been classified into two groups and models. The first group is known as the ability model describing that emotional intelligence is a particular sort of intellectual ability as well as a part of cognition intelligence. The second group is the mixed model in which the philosophers blend the abilities of intelligence with some personality attributes, for example, being optimistic. Emotional intelligence includes interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence is the external intelligence which an individual utilizes to understand and maintain relations with the other individuals. It is imperative for promoting characteristics like sympathy, empathy, and strengthening powerful relationships. On the other hand, intrapersonal intelligence is the internal intelligence that is used by an individual to understand himself which is necessary for self-awareness, self-inspiration, and self-regulation. The management of intrapersonal as well as interpersonal emotions is important for individuals’ academic and professional accomplishments. Individuals having a higher emotional intelligence are more expected to regulate, understand, and control emotions excellently in themselves as well as in the other individuals (Wijekoon et al., 2017).

Emotional intelligence is extremely indispensable in functioning leadership positions as leaders wish everybody to fulfill his/her responsibilities and obligations as brilliantly as would be prudent. Research reveals that emotional intelligence has significant influences on the leadership roles and success of employment, and it is the prime variable for a successful life that contributes to better individuals’ performance (Zijlmans et al., 2011). The leaders with an outstanding level of emotional intelligence apply their social capacities to move others, ensure durable relations with workers, and act as influential motivators by managing their emotions and perceiving their inadequacies (Chastukhina, 2012). Leaders with an outstanding degree of emotional intelligence may be increasingly able to achieve more productivity from less manpower. Emotionally intelligent leaders can unexpectedly make and promote emotionally intelligent teams due to social many-sided nature of the present-day organizations (Goleman, 2002).

Within the paradigm of emotional intelligence, three theories are considered the fundamentals of emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1995; Mayer and Salovey, 1997; Goleman, 1998; Bar-On, 2000; Mayer et al., 2000). These theories have been presented in the last decade as an endeavor to describe the capabilities, attributes, and skills related to emotional intelligence. Mayer and Salovey (1997) built up an emotional intelligence model concentrating on those areas that stimulate intelligence through the understanding of emotions. In their model, emotional intelligence determines the potential for achieving the proficiency of certain abilities in the field of emotional intelligence. Bar-On (2000) presented a trait model of emotional intelligence that gauges emotional intelligence through five domains, i.e. intrapersonal skills, interpersonal skills, adaptability, stress management, and general mood. Interpersonal skills include the management of relationships with other individuals. Intrapersonal skills stress on individuals’ concentration and commitment and also the capability to make planning and complete independent ventures. Stress management abilities involve a person’s capability to remain calm, use constructive managing strategies, and promote power supportive systems. Adaptability skills comprise of significant problem-solving aptitudes, flexibility, and the capability to reframe issues and their resolutions. The general mood is a pointer of hopefulness, optimism, and flexibility. Bar-On (1997) expressed that emotionally intelligent individuals are commonly optimistic, adaptable, realistic, and effective in resolving issues and facing stressful situations without losing control. Goleman’s model of emotional intelligence is a competency model that concentrates on the competencies of emotional intelligence that enable an individual to achieve accomplishment in the working place (Goleman, 1995; Goleman, 1998). Goleman’s mixed model demonstrates the facets of an individual’s personality in addition to the capability to stimulate oneself in social and emotional conditions (Goleman, 1995; Goleman, 1998). Likewise, Bar-On’s mixed model of emotional intelligence also indicates the role of interpersonal relationships on emotion, as well as skills endorsing adaptability and stress management (Bar-On and Parker, 2000). On the other hand, Mayer and Salovey’s skill model focuses on the abilities related to the processing of emotional information (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). Goleman (2002) found that leaders who utilize emotional intelligence skills may maintain loyalty and organizational productivity. Goleman (1998) additionally focused on emotional intelligence that comprises five parts: identifying one’s emotions (self-awareness), managing them, inspiring self, knowing emotions in other individuals (empathy), and maintaining relations.

Job satisfaction has a direct association with the productivity and efficiency of an organization and also to individuals’ success. It is the basic component that acts as a contributory factor to advancement, productivity, appreciation, income, development, and achievement, causing a feeling of fulfillment (Kaliski, 2007). It reflects the enthusiasm and gratification of an individual with his/her work. It is described as the feeling that is experienced at the end of accomplishing an assignment and might be desirable or undesirable reliant on the results of the task endeavored (Saiyadain, 2007). It is a many-sided and multifaceted phenomenon that portrays diverse things to different persons. It is generally associated with motivation, but the mode of association is not comprehensible. Satisfaction is different from motivation (Mullins, 2005). It is also described as a pleasant enthusiastic situation initiating from the occupational assessment, it represents a viable response to one’s profession as well as attitudes, the significant characteristics of employment gratification that are generally determined through organizations by means of the rating scale, workers’ responses (Kumari and Pandey, 2011).

Job satisfaction involves emotional, intellectual, and behavioral variables. The emotional variable refers to emotions with regard to employment, for example, exhaustion, tension, or pleasure. The cognitive or intellectual variable refers to beliefs as to one’s occupation, i.e. feeling that one’s profession is reasonably challenging and difficult. Lastly, the behavioral variable is comprised of employees’ practices related to their employment comprising of coming and remaining late, or appearing as sick, etc. Job satisfaction may affect capability, productivity, absenteeism, turnover, employees’ resignation, and finally employees’ prosperity (Usop et al., 2013). Dissatisfied individuals have a tendency to withdraw from organizations, whereas satisfied personnel are in good well-being and have a tendency to remain for a longer period in the organizations. Job satisfaction has various negative impacts such as despondency, uneasiness, and poor physiological and psychological prosperity influencing workers’ absenteeism, turnover, obligation, and commitment. Job satisfaction impacts individuals’ personal lives and therefore influences turnover and other essential business-related dispositions as well as demeanors. It acts as an outstanding turnover predictor and may influence learners’ judgment regarding the quality of services offered by the organization. Nevertheless, employees may be displeased with their occupation and ultimately, they have the intentions to leave the profession due to some reasons, for example, poor communication with contemporaries, high stress, lack of opportunities for advancement, and lack of recognition, etc. (Ucho et al., 2012).

In this technologically advanced era, every organization needs to accomplish outstanding achievement by means of productivity. Nevertheless, the accomplishment of this dream requires substantial satisfaction of workforces because they endeavor to increase more efforts to perform effectively to accomplish the stated goals. Likewise, the organizational achievement relies upon effective and creative individual execution (Kwateng et al., 2014). Currall et al. (2005) expressed that organizational profitability relies upon the execution of its workforces, and therefore, a high level of occupation fulfillment is essential for the outstanding execution of employees. Likewise, Meyer confirmed that job dissatisfaction unpleasantly affects the workers’ commitment which ultimately hampers the attainment of organizational goals and performance. Therefore, handsome and attractive packages are required for retaining higher performers (Meyer, 2014). Employment fulfillment helps in promising increasingly resourceful workforces and progressively organizational accomplishments. Those employees feeling satisfaction with their job are supposed to have outstanding excellence of work life when contrasted with those employees who are disappointed and their requirements are not fulfilled. Every employee in the working environment needs to perform a vital part for the progression and development of an organization and consequently, knowing employees’ occupational gratification is necessary for the change of execution and organizational efficiency (Nyanga et al., 2012).

According to Herzberg et al. (1959), there are five factors, namely, achievement, responsibility, work itself, recognition, and advancement, which act as strong predictors of job satisfaction. Other predictors are supervision, company policies, administration policies, compensation, working conditions, and interpersonal relationship. According to Lester (1987), the main components of job satisfaction are supervision, working conditions, colleagues, work itself, pay, responsibility, security, recognition, and advancement. Similarly, Sonmezer and Eryaman (2008) described that salary, advancement, ability utilization, social status, conducive working conditions, good relations, security, and creativity are the important elements of job satisfaction of the personnel of education. Treputtharat and Tayiam (2014) expressed that responsibility, performance standards, reward, unity, leadership, and success are the six components of the organizational setting which affect employees’ job satisfaction. According to Helms (2006), pay and money are the prime gorgeous factors of employees’ job satisfaction and motivation. Pay includes financial recognition for accomplishments. It is one of the tools to improve employee job satisfaction (Ketsela, 2017). Nyange (2013) expressed that advancement opportunities enable individuals to move toward advancement and growth which stimulate employees’ morale and inspire them to perform efficiently and more successfully. Subsequently, this builds organizational profitability and proficiency and stimulates the level of job satisfaction. Luthans (1998) affirmed that under favorable working conditions, e.g. a clean and fascinating environment, employees will perform their job effectively and successfully. Conversely, within an unpleasant working environment, like a hot and noisy environment, employees will not complete their work and subsequently experience dissatisfaction. Carrell et al. (1998) expressed that satisfaction is encouraged under effective supervision and the employees perceive their supervisor as sympathetic, cooperative, capable, and successful. Ineffective supervision comprises discriminating treatment of the supervisor and inability to correspond to workers’ problems, which thusly contribute to job dissatisfaction (Chung, 1977). Waqas et al. (2014) concluded that recognition, reward, and workplace environment are powerful influential factors affecting job satisfaction. But on the contrary, the involvement in the decision-making process has an insignificant association with job satisfaction.

Various research studies have been conducted to evaluate the association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction locally and globally in various settings. After going through the findings of these studies, it has come to light that there is a substantial association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. Khanzada et al. (2018) found that there was a substantial positive relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance of the employees. The mediation outcomes revealed that job satisfaction moderately mediates between employees’ emotional intelligence and their job performance and reinforced the relationship. Rahman and Haleem (2018) found that emotional intelligence had a considerable positive influence on job satisfaction. Similarly, Khan et al. (2017) concluded that all the dimensions of emotional intelligence significantly predict job satisfaction. Additionally, their results indicated that among the indicators, self-assessment was found to be the most powerful predictor, whereas optimism was found to be the weakest predictor of job satisfaction. Naz and Liaquat (2015) found that emotional intelligence significantly impacts on employees’ job satisfaction and psychological ownership. Income level substantially impacts job satisfaction and psychological ownership positively. Conversely, it does not impact the emotional intelligence of the employees. Ashraf et al. (2014) found that there was sufficient evidence of a substantial association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction with marital status as well as employment experience affecting it significantly. Hussain et al. (2014) investigated the association among three different variables related to secondary school teachers, and these variables are emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Moreover, the study investigated the influence of gender and age in determining these aspects among the sample teachers. The outcomes indicate that there was a significant positive relationship between the three variables, i.e. emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.

In this technologically advanced era, every organization needs to accomplish outstanding achievements in terms of productivity and efficiency. Nevertheless, the accomplishment of this dream requires substantial satisfaction of workforces as they endeavor to increase more efforts to perform effectively to achieve the organizational goals. In this connection, emotional intelligence performs a substantial role in achieving organizational goals. The association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction has caught the consideration of the investigators as emotional intelligence is playing a vital role in envisaging employees’ job satisfaction (Ghoreishi et al., 2014). Therefore, several research studies have been conducted to examine the association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction (Anari, 2012; Çekmecelioğlu et al., 2012; Ealias and George, 2012; Lee and Ok, 2012; Zakieh and Aminilari, 2013). Likewise, this cross-sectional study also examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. The results revealed that there is a moderate positive correlation between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, which means that emotional intelligence is directly associated with job satisfaction. It is evident from this relationship that the higher the emotional intelligence of an individual, the higher will be his job satisfaction. Additionally, the results showed that there is a moderate correlation between all the subdimensions of emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, i.e. self-motivation, self-awareness, empathy, managing relations, emotional stability, integrity, value orientation, self-development, commitment, and altruistic behavior. It explicitly indicates that all these subdimensions of emotional intelligence have a substantial positive relationship with job satisfaction which shows that emotionally intelligent secondary school heads will perceive a higher level of job satisfaction. The findings of the study are consistent with the results of Anari (2012) who explored a significant positive correlation between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. Likewise, Emdady and Bagheri (2013) found a substantial positive relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction among workforces in Sama organization in Iran. According to Grund and Sliwka (2001), emotionally intelligent employees possess a higher level of job satisfaction because emotionally intelligent personnel can identify approaches to overcome the potential negative outcomes caused by stressful conditions. Conversely, those with less emotional intelligence are not capable to handle stressful situations effectively. The results are also supported by other previous research studies in which a substantial positive correlation between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction was reported (Lee and Ok, 2012; Mousavi et al., 2012; Trivellas et al., 2013; Alnidawy, 2015; Tagoe and Quarshie, 2016; Yusoff et al., 2016). It is evident from the findings that an individual having a high level of emotional intelligence will possess a high level of job satisfaction. On the other hand, surprisingly, Mandip et al. (2012), Ghoreishi et al. (2014), and El-Badawy and Magdy (2015) found no substantial association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction.

In order to investigate the role of each subdimension of emotional intelligence as a predictor of job satisfaction, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The outcomes showed that among the dimensions of emotional intelligence, five subdimensions were found substantial predictors of job satisfaction and have a considerable positive influence on job satisfaction, i.e. emotional stability, self-development, integrity, managing relations, and altruistic behavior. It plainly shows that job satisfaction will be positively affected by these subdimensions of emotional intelligence. On the contrary, self-awareness, empathy, self-motivation, value orientation, and commitment have no significant positive effect on job satisfaction. The findings of the study are in line to some extent with few research studies in which it was concluded that emotional intelligence predicts job satisfaction (Abraham, 2000; Livingstone, 2001; Thiebaut et al., 2005).

This study has some limitations. Firstly, only a quantitative research method has been used in this study. Therefore, a mixed-method research methodology, i.e. quantitative as well as a qualitative methodology may be used to investigate the same problem in future research. Secondly, the problem has been investigated through standardized tools, and there may be a slight difference in the findings if the problem may be investigated through self-developed measuring instruments. Thirdly, demographic variables, i.e. job experience, age, academic and professional qualification, locality, nature of the job, etc. may affect the results of the study, but these variables were not taken into consideration in this investigation. So, this limitation can be eliminated through a future research study by considering these demographic variables. Fourthly, this cross-sectional study was conducted in only 10 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The results may differ to some extent if the same research study would be carried out in all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. So, the collection of data from all districts with a larger sample size will overcome this limitation.

Emotional intelligence is a basic variable that ensures job satisfaction of individuals and hence stimulates the overall productivity of an organization. A moderate positive association was found between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. Emotional intelligence predicts job satisfaction, and five dimensions, i.e. integrity, emotional stability, self-development, managing relations, and altruistic behavior, were found to be substantial predictors of job satisfaction. It clearly shows that emotional intelligence is directly related to job satisfaction; the higher the emotional intelligence, the higher will be the level of their job satisfaction.

Emotional intelligence is closely linked with the efficiency and productivity of the workplace. Hence, it is imperative to emphasize those practices which subsidize to promote emotional intelligence and commitment among secondary school heads. In the recruitment process, preference should be given to those secondary school heads who are more emotionally intelligent. To boost up the level of emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of secondary school heads, workshops, seminars, and conferences should be held. As emotional stability, integrity, self-development, managing relations, and altruistic behavior proved to be the significant predictors of job satisfaction, therefore, secondary school heads should be developed with these dimensions of emotional intelligence through advanced professional training programs, seminars, and conferences. The curriculum of educational management and administration should be revised and modernized by including subjects on emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. Secondary school heads should be provided with handsome compensation and other incentives. The Ministry of Education should devise productive and effective education policies promising to the employees’ prosperity and organizational productivity. All the stakeholders should be taken into confidence during the process of policy formulation particularly schools’ heads and teachers for providing their valuable suggestions and experiences regarding school overall performance. Furthermore, necessary measures should be taken to implement education policies effectively. In addition, Elementary & Secondary Education Department Khyber Pakthunkhwa should have a collaboration with policy makers to formulate rewarding and comprehensive strategies for enhancing the level of job satisfaction of secondary school heads as well as making their job more attractive to stimulate their morale for yielding fruitful and productive outcomes. For future research studies, it is recommended that the same research study should be conducted at elementary, higher secondary, and tertiary levels in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in other provinces of Pakistan.

The datasets generated for this study are available on request to the corresponding author.

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Department of Education & Psychology as well as Advance Studies and Research Board (ASRB), Kohat University of Science & Technology, Pakistan. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

QS wrote the original manuscript and contributed in conceptualization, introduction, investigation, methodology, and formal analysis. MS supervised the research work and contributed in methodology, reviewing and editing. ZM contributed in reviewing and editing, and methodology. IH supervised, reviewed, edited, and validated the research work.

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.