Mains Practice Questions

Introduction

Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in oneself and others. In governance, EI complements cognitive intelligence, fostering ethical leadership and efficient public service delivery. Administrators with high EI demonstrate empathy, self-regulation, and social awareness, ensuring responsive and ethical governance.

Body

Role of Emotional Intelligence in Ethical Leadership:

• Self-awareness enables ethical decision-making, helping leaders align actions with constitutional and moral values.
• Empathy promotes inclusive governance, ensuring policies address the concerns of marginalized communities.
• Self-regulation prevents impulsive decisions, fostering transparency, patience, and ethical behavior in administration.
• Integrity and accountability are strengthened, as emotionally intelligent leaders resist corruption, bias, and unethical pressures.

Role of Emotional Intelligence in Public Service Delivery:

• Citizen-centric administration improves public trust, as officers handle grievances with compassion and professionalism.
• Conflict resolution in governance benefits from emotionally intelligent mediation, reducing bureaucratic rigidity.
• Crisis management becomes more effective, ensuring calm decision-making and clear communication during emergencies.
• Policies like "Mission Karmayogi" aim to instill EI, promoting citizen-friendly governance and ethical decision-making.

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence is essential for ethical leadership and responsive governance, ensuring accountability, inclusivity, and trust in administration. As governance increasingly demands compassion and efficiency, EI must be institutionalized in civil services training for sustained ethical governance.