In March 2020, school leaders' roles were unexpectedly and dramatically challenged as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in overnight school closures across the United States and an unexpected and expedited transition to online learning. What role might emotional intelligence (EI) have played in the leadership of school principals during those unprecedented times? The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to explore how elementary school principals applied EI as defined by Goleman's (2000) model of EI while leading during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also explored what principals described as unique leadership challenges confronted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what, if any, forms of preparation principals deemed useful to their leadership during crisis. The findings are undergirded by Goleman's EI four-domain model, which consists of self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, and relationship management. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 elementary school principals in New York state. The findings of the study reflected the application of EI in participants' descriptions of their leadership during the initial 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional findings revealed the emotional toll leading through the COVID-19 pandemic took on participants in this study, as well as what participants described as preparing them to lead during crisis. The study provides evidence of elementary school principals' reliance on EI to lead through crisis; recommendations for future research and recommendations for educational leaders and policymakers are suggested based on the study's findings. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]