By Morgan Jones CPA
Morgan successfully wrote the CFE in September 2020 and obtained his CPA designation after completing his practical experience requirements in summer 2021. He is a Financial Accountant at Alberta Motor Association.
Emotional intelligence (also known as EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions—as well as recognize and understand the emotions of others—in different situations, but particularly while under pressure or in stressful situations. High EQ is shown to be linked to someone’s ability to manage stress, communicate and empathize with others, and deal with conflict.
During CPA PEP, managing your studies, work, and personal life can be challenging. Having multiple competing and important priorities can be emotionally draining. It can also lead to stress and anxiety, which, in turn, may affect your quality of life and relationships. To help maintain balance and be successful, it is important to cultivate emotional intelligence.
Cultivating EQ in the CPA certification program helped me with the following:
Developing empathy
Dealing with different personalities is part of life’s journey, and at times, it can be very difficult. However, it is simply not enough to accept that working with certain people is challenging. It is important to have empathy in order to navigate those tough relationships. In my opinion, empathy is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence.
Developing empathy requires effort and analysis (similar to the effort you put into your studies), and the results are well worth it. Empathy enables you to understand other perspectives and emotions when collaborating, communicating, or navigating conflicts. Empathy also improves your social awareness, helps you understand different personality types, and allows you to confidently and effectively engage with different personalities, as well as adjust to different situations. This is an invaluable skill in CPA PEP.
Collaborating effectively
Collaboration occurs in all areas of life, especially during Capstone 1 in CPA PEP! And to collaborate effectively, you need to cultivate emotional intelligence. In my case, this meant knowing my strengths and weaknesses, and where I could be most effective when collaborating with others. It also involved being able to identify and work with the strengths and weaknesses of my teammates.
Communicating constructively
Communication plays a huge role in collaboration, and effective communication requires emotional intelligence. The most important part of communication for me is the way I present myself. It is important to remain composed and aware of how my words and behaviour can be interpreted.
It is also important to be consistent, regardless of any variation in the messages I receive (and any feelings I may have about them). Being able to manage my mood and emotional reactions are key to fostering positive relationships and successful collaboration in CPA PEP.
Saying “no”
It seems simple but being able to say “no” to friends, family, and colleagues during CPA PEP is an important skill that I personally had difficulty with. Maintaining these relationships is important, but taking on too much during the program can have negative repercussions on both your studies and health.
Emotional intelligence allows you to say “no” respectfully and with sensitivity, while also remaining firm. This helps you maintain good relationships without sacrificing yourself. Managing this balance will allow you to stay on track for the duration of CPA PEP.
Cultivating emotional intelligence is a lifelong journey that takes time and effort, but it is very rewarding. A high EQ enables you to collaborate effectively with different personality types and those from different backgrounds. Ultimately, it contributes to your success in CPA PEP, your career, and in life.
The views expressed in this post are those of the guest writer, Morgan Jones CPA. Please refer to cpawsb.ca for the latest guidelines from the CPA Western School of Business.
