Business Acumen

Definition of Business Acumen

Business acumen is the way a person understands and applies the vision, mission, values, and strategy of the organization in any business situation. This involves staying current with the organization’s goals, purposes and best practices. Good business acumen is demonstrated when a person is aware of and knows how to utilize his/her team, and efficiently, effectively, and consistently demonstrates judgment in understanding and dealing with business risks and opportunities in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome.

Assistant / Associate:

Aware of mission, vision, values, and strategy

Understands basic processes utilized by the business

Knows team roles and responsibilities

Viewed as a competent individual contributor

Senior Associate / Professional:

Internalizes mission, vision, values, and strategy and takes accountability for the results

Understands business trends and conditions

Understands their role and impact to overall business strategy

Knows how to encourage others toward positive goals

Viewed as a mentor and guide to others

Senior Professional / Principal:

Models mission, vision, and values for the organization

Understands and participates in the development of business strategy

Knows how to lead others with or without authority

Viewed as a key person for the entire business

Actively engaged and personally invested in the business

How to Develop Business Acumen

University Courses:

Basic (1xx level) business courses
Bachelor's Degree in business or related field
Advance degree in areas such as MBA, MPA, etc.

Books / Publications:

Multipliers, Liz Wiseman
Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute
The Oz Principle, & Journey to Emerald City, Roger Connors and Tom Smith
Daring Greatly, Brene Brown
Good to Great, Jim Collins
How to be Exceptional, Zenger Folkman
Switch, Chip and Dan Heath
Crucial Conversations, Patterson
Boundaries of Leaders, Dr. Henry Cloud
The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Consistently read general publications such as Business Week, Fortune, or the Wall Street Journal, or specific publications germane to your college or department to keep on top of business and academic developments. Look for statements of company goals, recent progress toward longer term objectives, and future challenges.
Make it a habit to read the business section of your newspaper.
Read as many internal publications as you can, including the annual report, newsletters, and publications about various colleges and departments.

Experiences that can assist the employee in his/her development:

Obtain a copy of BYU’s mission and vision statements if you are not already familiar with them. If you have any questions, ask your manager to explain. Once you have a clear understanding of the mission and vision, look for opportunities to align your goals and priorities with those of BYU.
Study your organization chart to get a “big picture” of the various practice segments/divisions and practice management and support departments.
Many teams conduct debrief sessions at the end of a job project, semester, or significant task. Ask to attend so that you can learn some of the challenges, lessons learned and successes experienced by your customers and colleagues.
Inquire about temporary assignments that would allow you to work on a project so you have a better understanding of our clients’ or department’s business
Request a cross-functional project assignment, a job rotation, and/or an opportunity to serve on an inter-departmental committee assignment
Request a cross-functional project assignment, a job rotation, and/or an opportunity to serve on an inter-departmental committee assignment
Seek out and actively engage with a mentor and/or offer to serve in a mentoring role for a less experienced associate.
Initiate a meeting or lunch with an experienced leader from another group. Ask this person to share his or her thoughts on BYU, or the department’s strengths and weaknesses. Ask about the key success factors for the department or college. Ask in-depth questions to help you understand what has happened and why.
Retain the services of a professional coach

How to Demonstrate Business Acumen

DO: Describe what you did in completing / achieving your development plan

Participate in 360 degree reviews to understand strengths and weaknesses
Attend conferences/workshops related specifically to your field
Demonstrate a key business function, such as increasing net income

ASSESS: Share, if applicable, any assessments that were taken / provided related to your activities

Track efficiency with projects and other key tasks for several months
Examine the impact of your role to the finances, schedule and operation of the department
Create and track personal/unit progress against Key Performance Indicators
Assess department and individual engagement

LEARN: Explain what you felt that you were able to learn during your journey / experiences

Study the department mission statement and identify how your job fits within it
Examine the mission of the university and identify how your department’s mission supports overall activities of the university

APPLY: Give specifics examples where you have / plan to make direct application to your work

Develop personal plans to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your role
In conjunction with your supervisor, propose ideas and plans that can improve an aspect of department operations. If implemented, quantify the difference your plan has made.

REFLECT: Review / consider things you would have done differently had you had this experience earlier

Examine the operations of other departments and determine if there are improvements that can be made within your unit.
Reflect on changes that you have made to your work habits, routines and activities. How have those adjustments impacted you and your department?
Determine what success looks like for you, your team and your division. Discuss this with your peers and supervisor.