Abstract
The primary objective is to establish whether a potential trend exists between effective leadership and emotional intelligence (EI). This research also investigates whether possible trends exist between leadership and emotional intelligence in terms of the leadership styles: transformational or transactional leadership. Insight is also gained into whether male or female student leaders practice either transformation or transactional leadership styles. The sample was identified as the student leaders at the University of Johannesburg's Auckland Park Kingsway campus. The sample ultimately included 123 respondents for all the committees in the institution, resulting in a very positive response rate for data analysis. The findings revealed that there was insufficient evidence to support the objective that specific trends exist between leadership effectiveness when considering emotional intelligence or whether emotional intelligences relates more strongly with a transformational or transactional leadership style. However relevant relationships between female respondents and the transformational leadership style could be established.