In this study, two fields of research that have perplexed and divided scholars over the last 30 years are explored. Emotional intelligence and mindfulness have been the subjects of many studies, although questions remain as to their definitions as constructs and how they can be applied from an organisational perspective (Daniel et al., 2022; Dasborough et al., 2021). The concept of leadership, which provides the contextual backdrop to this study, has also been dogged by criticism and debate, with an abundance of theory seemingly unable to provide a consensus view on what exactly it is and how academic research can provide relevant insights for those working as leaders (Alvesson, 2020).

One of the issues to date has been that all three of these fields of research have been dominated by quantitative study; there is a search for the ‘holy grail’ in terms of absolute definitions and precise causal relationships. Despite years of academic study into emotional intelligence and mindfulness, precise answers have remained beyond reach. In order to contribute to knowledge the author of this study has taken a very different approach to theory building. Through exploration by application of qualitative methods of how individuals working in leadership roles experience emotional intelligence and mindfulness, this researcher has captured the two constructs as they present in leadership practice. Through the thematic analysis of rich data, a picture of the inter-relationship between mindfulness and emotional intelligence in leaders has emerged and, as a result, a new theoretical model of Emotionally Mindful Intelligence (EMI) is proposed which is relevant to both academia and management practice.