Business Acumen

Description

Many people believe you are born with business acumen, which is loosely defined as the ability to assess an external market and make effective decisions. Knowing what is necessary to navigate and create a successful business seems innate for certain people. For example, Steve Jobs showed great business acumen. Fortunately, it is possible for the rest of us to improve business acumen. The right training combined with experience will improve your business savvy.

Business Acumen Workshop Outline

 Module One: Getting Started

• Workshop Objectives

 Module Two: Seeing the Big Picture

• Short and Long Term Interactions
• Recognize Growth Opportunities
• Mindfulness of Decisions
• Everything is Related
• Case Study
• Module Two: Review Questions

Module Three: KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators)

• Decisiveness
• Flexible
• Strong Initiative
• Intuitive
• Case Study
• Module Three: Review Questions

Module Four: Risk Management Strategies

• Continuous Assessment
• Internal and External Factors
• Making Adjustments and Corrections
• Knowing When to Pull the Trigger or Plug
• Case Study
• Module Four: Review Questions

Module Five: Recognizing Learning Events

• Develop a Sense of Always Learning
• Evaluate Past Decisions
• Problems are Learning Opportunities
• Recognize Your Blind Spots
• Case Study
• Module Five: Review Questions

Module Six: You Need to Know These Answers and More

• What Makes Money My Company Money?
• What Were Sales Last Year?
• What is our Profit Margin?
• What Were Our Costs?
• Case Study
• Module Six: Review Questions

Module Seven: Financial Literacy (I)

• Assets
• Financial Ratios
• Liabilities
• Equity
• Case Study
• Module Seven: Review Questions

Module Eight: Financial Literacy (II)

• Income Statement
• Balance Sheet
• Cash Flow Statement
• Read, Read, and Read
• Case Study
• Module Eight: Review Questions

Module Nine: Business Acumen in Management

• Talent Management
• Change Management
• Asset Management
• Organizational Management
• Case Study
• Module Nine: Review Questions

Module Ten: Critical Thinking in Business

• Ask the Right Questions
• Organize the Data
• Evaluate the Information
• Make the Decision
• Case Study
• Module Ten: Review Questions

Module Eleven: Key Financial Levers

• Investing in People
• Effective Communication
• Process Improvement
• Goal Alignment
• Case Study
• Module Eleven: Review Questions

Module Twelve: Wrapping Up

• Words from the Wise