A new course offered by the UBC Sauder School of Business, and made possible with the generous support of BMO Financial Group, introduces learners to nine emotional intelligence (EQ) traits to achieve greater success in family business.
Family businesses are a powerful economic driver and the most common type of ownership structure. A wide range of enterprises, from your neighbourhood corner store, all the way to the global Walmart empire, are rooted in the family unit.
These organizations need to nurture strong familial relationships to thrive and maintain their competitive advantage. They are, however, particularly prone to heightened emotions and complex interpersonal interactions.
UBC Sauder is a leader in family business education. Its latest course, EQ for Family Business, offers valuable insights into navigating these complicated enterprises. The course is available through online course provider edX and enrolment is free. The course content is directed primarily at next-generation successors, but it also provides elders with an opportunity to explore their own experiences to help sustain healthy family business relationships. Financial advisors can also develop helpful skills in speaking to family business clients by taking the course.
EQ for Family Business consists of three separate modules: Connecting with Your Mind, Connecting with Your Heart and Connecting with Others. Each module tackles three different elements of EQ, including traits like listening, humility, empathy, and more.
Members of some of the highest profile families in business, including successors to John Fluevog Shoes and Mott Electric GP, offer compelling reflections about how their companies and careers have been impacted by interpersonal relationships.
UBC Sauder adjunct professor and award-winning author, David Bentall, serves as the course instructor. As one of the top family business practitioners in the world and a third-generation member of Vancouver’s Bentall real estate family, he complements the course’s guest speakers with his own valuable perspective.
Access the course today: https://www.edx.org/course/eq-for-family-business
