The premise of emotional intelligence in leadership is that emotional intelligence should be the premise of leadership. Before tasks, followers, goals, and styles can be defined or criticized, the leader's emotional intelligence must be assessed (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002, p. 5). Emotional intelligence then becomes the predictor of how effectively the leader will be able to lead in a given situation, set of tasks, or followers. In this article, the author will compare this premise of emotional intelligence with Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory and the situational approach to leadership (Northouse, 2010). Furthermore, the author will evaluate, in terms of resonance and dissonance, how adequately an emotional intelligence model would work in a higher education environment. Emotional intelligence operates in four theoretical domains and their respective competencies which are essentially classified into two divisions: personal competence and social competence (Goleman, et al, 2002, p. 39). These broader competencies do not describe leadership talents, but learned skills that describe how effectively the leader manages intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships (Goleman, et al, 2002). The assumption is that if the leader is fully intrapersonally competent—that is, among other factors, adequately self-aware, transparent, and adaptable—he or she will have better interpersonal insight into his or her subordinates. (Goleman et al, 2002). This social competence outlines more specific qualities including a strong sense of empathy, service, influence and collaboration (Goleman, et al, 2002). In terms of leadership effectiveness, these skills are not only ideal,...... half of the article... the author believes that the comparison between the leader-member exchange, the situational approach to leadership and the premise of emotional intelligence has uncovered important truths about leadership that may not be mutually exclusive. Surely the conundrum of leadership is that it contains many truths, and the one universal truth is that none are universal, but empirically valid to help the leader lead the followers and the institutions they comprise. References Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2008). Restructuring Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, 4th Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-BassGoleman, D., Boyatzis, R., McKee, A. (2002). Primary leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership theory and practice. 5th edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.