The percentage of women in leadership positions is increasing and advancing towards gender parity. However, the number of female leaders is still low when compared to male leaders. We endeavored to examine by means of a literature review the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on women´s leadership since we found that EI is a key factor in predicting effective leadership traits. We also found there is a social perception that women tend to be seen as more emotional and empathic than men. We review the definitions of leadership and EI and explore the link between EI, leadership and women. Several leadership scholars and psychologists argue that EI is an important foundation for leadership effectiveness. We review the literature about how men and women compare in their EI attributes. When it comes to learning EI, men and women have the same opportunities to acquire a greater EI through reflection and experience. However, we highlight the necessity for increasing the number of women in leadership positions by enhancing and supporting women’s leadership competencies. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of building EI in order to achieve effective leadership.

Globalization and digitization have brought in unprecedented changes in the leadership-organization-environment equation. Managing this equation is complex because it is not confined by clear, known boundaries. Today's leadership, in this situation, faces three major challenges: One, they confront problems that are occurring rapidly, are complex in nature, and may be unclear as not having experienced by them before. Two, they have to make quick decisions, in spite of "complexity, novelty and ambiguity" (Lord & Maher, 19901). Three, they have to take risk, keeping in mind "negative consequences of a solution with respect to other on-solving efforts and broader system goals (Mumford & Peterson, 19992). This article addresses the primary, fundamental issue of leadership competencies, which Prof. Fadil Çitaku’s Leadership Competency Model (2012) and currently published Leadership Competency Model Drenica (Çitaku and Ramadani, 2020) propose, and the Leadership Style befitting to the organizational structure that Prof. Don Zilloux, the author of  The Results-Focused Organization (2011) elucidates. Additionally, in this study a large body of evidence-based literature have been reviewed to highlight the newest outcomes from the Science of Leadership regarding Leadership, Risk-Taking and Decision-Making.