A nurse’s leader emotional intelligence (EI) is closely linked to his or her ability to therapeutically handle interpersonal conflicts. EI is based on the ability to accurately identify another person’s emotions from facial expressions, body language, and speech. Communicating with respect and concern for the other person is a salient way to effectively manage a conflict. When nurse leaders lack EI, results suffer and team morale plummets. The core themes associated with EI include: gratitude, altruism, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, happiness, and mindfulness. An emotionally intelligent person is able to identify these themes and respond appropriately without great effort.

Key words: emotional intelligence, interpersonal conflicts, nursing, leaders.