You may have come across the term emotional intelligence in researching the world of accountancy and business. If you haven’t, you will do, as it’s a characteristic that the global economy will increasingly value.

Not long ago, using the word emotion in connection to business would have had the “Rottweiler-style” managers turning away in horror. Leadership and decision making were largely based on hard-nosed business acumen and being able to drive forward devoid of such “touchy-feely stuff”.

But the world of industry and commerce is a very different place – largely thanks to the relentless onslaught of technological advancement.

If you are considering taking an accountancy qualification or business degree at college – or you are in your degree final year – you will know that employers these days demand a high degree of competency. This includes insights in to the way automation and cloud systems are changing the face of business.

But accountants and business managers can provide this economy “run by machines” with things no technology can replace: emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence helps to manage these processes and get the best out of teams – attributes needed to analyse and contextualise both data and people.

Why emotional intelligence matters

Emotional intelligence, according to Psychology Today, is “the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.”

It links in with the prevailing view that the two foundations of business relationships are competence (demonstrated by qualifications, for example) and warmth (soft skills).

Insight, intuition, good communication skills, conflict resolution – all skills needed by modern managers. But leaders also need to inspire, support and encourage human interaction and ambition. Businesses under pressure need calm, clear thinking people who can “rally the troops”.

A world of diversity

Meetings and other human interaction may be moving online, but at the other end of the equation, greater emphasis is being placed on diversity and equality. Understanding is growing that “investing in people” doesn’t just mean assessing and delivering structured professional training.

A great illustration of this is New York based CA Technologies. This hi-tech firm has won a raft of awards recently, not from its highly respected developments, but from the way it welcomes, recognises and builds on its staff opinions and ideas.

Its whole growth programme is based on active policies of diversity and inclusion. When CA recruits it’s not based on current or past job roles, but on what candidates bring to the company in terms of ideas and personal attributes.

Enrolling at Mont Rose College in Ilford will give you the levels of competence you need to be successful. But this equality and diversity conscious college will also help your emotional intelligence to grow too. Read more about CA Technologies success.