Abstract
The concept of emotional intelligence has become popular in relation with leadership styles. We hypothesized that the impact of emotional intelligence reveals itself as a variety of leadership styles which coaches can choose and enhance the performance of coach-student interactions. Data were collected from coaches of several Kazakhstani sports organizations (35 participants). Mixed methods were used to obtain and analyze the data. Results were in keeping with the hypothesis. Emotional intelligence was found to impact coach-student interactions and team performance through a mediating variable – leadership styles.