ABSTRACT
This chapter presents trait and ability approaches of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and considers possible relationships between EI, transformational and authentic leadership. Authentic leadership is considered to be a root construct; that is, it is considered foundational to all other forms of leadership. It presents self-based and developmental definitions of authentic leadership and highlights the need for leaders to act as moral agents. The chapter opens with a discussion of Enron and then moves on to presentation of three key theoretical models applied to case studies of the use of social media based propaganda in the 2016 US election cycle: constructive and destructive leadership behaviour, the toxic triangle and the susceptible circle. It introduces the reader to modern academic study of leadership and provided an overview of both the structure and key foci of the book. The chapter introduces the reader to the first modern, systematic study of leadership, the Great Man theory, otherwise referred to as trait theory of leadership.
