Business Acumen

2 Days

Introduction

Through our Business Acumen workshop you will improve your judgment and decisiveness skills. Business acumen is all about seeing the big picture and recognising that all decisions, no matter how small, can have an effect on the bottom line.

You will increase your financial literacy and improve your business sense after attending this course.

Business acumen will give you an advantage everyone wishes they had. The workshop will help you recognise learning events, manage risk better, and increase your critical thinking. Business acumen has the ability to influence your whole organisation, and provide that additional edge that will lead to success.

Programme Objectives:

• Know how to see the big picture
• Develop a risk management strategy
• Know how to practice financial literacy
• Develop critical thinking
• Practice management acumen
• Find key financial levers

Method and Approach

This programme will involve the use of slides, handout material, work manual with all instructor notes and slides, examples of best practice, appropriate videos and appropriate video material.

The use of flip-charts, syndicate workshops and reporting back sessions will encourage a fully participative and enjoyable event. Delegates will be encouraged to participate actively in relating previous work experiences.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for all staff who wish to improve their business acumen skills and become more efficient in performing their tasks, and make a greater contribution to their department and their organisation as a whole.

Course Content

Module One: Getting Started

• Introduction to the course
• Workshop Objectives
• Pre-Assignment
• Action Plans and Evaluations

Module Two: Seeing the Big Picture

• Short and Long Term Interactions
• Recognise 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: Recognising 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
• Organise 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
• Review of Parking Lot
• Lessons Learned
• Completion of Action Plans and Evaluations