Leaders’ emotional intelligence as a determinant of sustainable development goal implementation in public and corporate sectors

Contemporary transformations in public administration and corporate governance, intensified by global crises, digitalisation, and growing social expectations, have increased the need for new approaches to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, leaders’ emotional intelligence should be conceptualised not merely as an individual psychological trait, but as a systemic managerial resource influencing economic, social, and institutional sustainability outcomes. This article aimed to substantiate the role of leaders’ emotional intelligence as a prerequisite for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the public and corporate sectors through an intersectoral and interdisciplinary perspective. To achieve this aim, the study applied systemic, institutional, and behavioural approaches, as well as methods of comparative and structural logical analysis, content analysis of scientific publications, and secondary analysis of empirical research results published by international organisations and peer-reviewed academic journals. The main findings demonstrate that leaders’ emotional intelligence exerts a comprehensive influence on sustainable development through three interrelated dimensions. In the economic dimension, emotional competence contributes to the improved quality of strategic decision-making, the reduction of transaction costs, and the formation of long-term economic sustainability of organisations. In the social dimension, the study confirms the decisive role of emotional intelligence in building trust, fostering inclusiveness in governance processes, and developing human capital in both public and corporate sectors. In the managerial dimension, it is established that leaders’ emotional intelligence ensures the institutionalisation of transparency, accountability, and ethical governance principles, which are critical for longterm institutional resilience. The practical value of the study lies in the applicability of its findings to the development of leadership competency frameworks, the improvement of organisational sustainable development strategies, and the design of public governance policies aimed at enhancing long-term socio-economic resilience