For years, transactional business acumen training lived in the corner of the Learning Management System, a stand-alone course, often sandwiched between time management and communication skills. However, today, the most progressive organizations are taking a radically different approach to embracing the skills needed to understand and set strategy, and then measure the execution of that strategy through financial reports and performance metrics.
They’re thinking across the organization, treating business acumen not as an isolated skill, but as a critical organizational competency that connects all functions and drives the creation of value for customers, employees, and shareholders.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… save the talk about the value proposition. What’s the cheapest price you can give me?”
If that line sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Across almost every industry, the buying process has devolved into a race to the bottom where “value” is measured only in dollars and cents, and where differentiation feels impossible because the customer believes all quality is equal.
But let’s pause and think about that for a moment.
The Kia EV9 Analogy
Take the Kia EV9. In 2025, this electric SUV, priced around $54,000, is packed with features: a long-range battery, advanced safety systems, and technology that would’ve seemed futuristic in 2000. Back then, a car with that level of performance and sophistication would have cost more than $60,000 in year-2000 dollars, and even then, wouldn’t have come close to the quality, reliability, and efficiency of today’s Kia.
The only thing it lacks? A BMW or Mercedes badge on the grille.
In other words, the world has changed. Quality is everywhere. Differentiation is harder to see. And yet, customers are more demanding than ever.
Read More >
Your dinosaur key account managers won’t understand what hit them; much in the same way the dinosaurs roaming the earth didn’t know the 8-mile-long asteroid was about to hit the planet 66 million years ago.
Today’s key account managers will tell you they’ve seen it all, they know it all, and most importantly, they have the 30-year relationships of martinis and steak dinners to prove it.
But things in the business universe are changing quickly, and the impact will be devastating for companies that don’t insist their key account managers get with the times. The next era of customer management requires a seismic shift from relationships built on loyalty to partnerships focused on business outcomes.
We are entering the era of Strategic Account Management, where success comes from insight, agility, and measurable value creation, not just because you bought the customer a steak dinner.
Read More >
It’s been another long but incredibly productive week working with clients to help their managers build stronger business acumen. One theme kept coming up again and again, in every program, every debrief, every reflection: developing a General Manager mindset.
More and more business leaders are turning to their HR Business Partners, looking for development solutions that go beyond teaching people how to “do their jobs.” They want their new and emerging managers to think like owners—to make decisions that balance short-term execution with long-term enterprise value.
That’s not easy. It doesn’t happen through a workshop or a checklist. It takes time, practice, and the right tools. But when done well, it changes everything.
Read More >
Some of you read that headline and thought, “That would never happen here.” Others read it and immediately thought of an example from your own organization where it happens every day, and know exactly what I am talking about. Unfortunately, the second group is right; this dynamic is more common than leaders care to admit.
A few years ago, I worked with a global manufacturing company where two managers took very different paths. One, a brilliant but insecure leader, quietly undermined one of his top-performing direct reports, assigning impossible deadlines, blocking access to resources, and even taking credit for her ideas. Eventually, her performance slipped, and he seemed vindicated: “See? She wasn’t as good as people thought.” But she left the company, joined a competitor, and within two years was leading a major business unit, directly against her old employer. He, meanwhile, fizzled out and will be remembered more for the talent he chased away than the results he delivered.
The other manager in the same company did the opposite. He actively built up his direct reports, gave them stretch assignments, and advocated for their success. Within five years, three of his protégés had moved into senior leadership roles across the enterprise. His reward? He was promoted to an executive vice president level not just for his results, but for the leadership legacy he created.
That contrast captures the issue perfectly. Over the past several months, as I’ve been conducting dozens of executive interviews while designing and delivering business simulations, I’ve heard an unsettling theme emerge: senior leaders are seeing managers who actually want their direct reports to fail.
Why? The motivations are rarely stated out loud, but they are painfully human:
- Fear that a talented direct report could “take their job.”
- Anxiety that a strong performer will raise the bar and force others to work harder.
- Discomfort with disruptive ideas that challenge the status quo.
Whatever the root cause, the outcome is the same: subtle sabotage, withheld support, and a toxic culture where high-potential talent is stifled rather than developed. Left unchecked, this behavior doesn’t just hurt individuals; it corrodes trust, slows innovation, and ultimately weakens the organization’s ability to compete.
Read More >