Implementing Emotional Intelligence Domains in the United States Marine Corps Leading Marines Publication

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) focuses heavily on developing leaders throughout its Professional Military Education (PME) continuum. For over two centuries, the USMC has evolved its leadership doctrine, with the most recent being the January 2019 revision of Marine Corps Warfighting Publication (MCWP) 6-10 Leading Marines. Leaders train to handle responsibility in stressful situations ranging from time contingent garrison deadlines through deployments combined with combat operations. MCWP 6-10 focuses on three key leadership concepts: USMC Ethos, Foundations of Leadership, and Overcoming Challenges. There is a noticeable gap pertaining to personal and social competence in this 122-page read. It does not capture prerequisite leadership qualities such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. These four Emotional Intelligence (EI) domains must be integrated into MCWP6-10 to help Marines reach their full leadership potential. EI is a missed fulcrum in building a leaders framework in the USMC. EI attributes, competencies, and domains are critical for Marines to establish a genuine connection with the Marines they are privileged to lead daily. This study focuses on what EI is, how it has evolved in various global leadership contexts, how it is positively impacting both business and military management, and how it should be integrated into United States Marine Corps Leadership PME publication.