In 2024, Business Acumen skills proved once again to be of critical importance to business leaders. Our marketing automation system is able to track the number of readers for each of our weekly blog posts, and looking back at the past year, a few posts stood out as favorites. These posts might have been written in different years, but they’ve found their audience in the digital world and continue to provide value.

Here’s a look at the top six most-read posts and my personal thoughts on why the topics resonated with our business leader audience. I also reflect on what makes business acumen skills such a critical topic.

In today’s business environment, having the right business acumen is no longer optional, it’s mandatory. Understanding the core drivers of business success allows individual contributors and leaders to make informed decisions, align their actions with the strategy, and drive the results that you have promised to your employees and shareholders.

Business acumen matters because it builds the bridge between an organization’s strategy, its goals, market realities, and operational execution. It enables employees, managers, and leaders to:

• Understand the “whys” behind decisions.
• Drive alignment across teams and functions.
• Anticipate market shifts and respond proactively.
• Use financial insights to make smarter choices.

Thanksgiving weekend is my favorite time of the year. It’s a time for reflection and giving thanks, family gatherings, and a chance to catch your breath before the year’s final Q4 stretch and the obligatory beginning of Q1. But Thanksgiving’s influence goes well beyond the dinner table and gathering with friends and family. Thanksgiving is a significant driver of the economy, carrying a major impact across food, entertainment, travel, and retail.

According to data from Statista, the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas is a significant time for U.S. retailers. Historically, retail sales during this time have accounted for a whopping 26.8% of the total annual retail sales in the United States.

It's interesting to look at and learn from "the business acumen of Thanksgiving." Let’s dive into what makes this holiday such an economic powerhouse.

Last weekend my wife asked me to fix something wrong with the plumbing. Between you and me, probably not the best idea. I can manage a wrench… a little bit, but before you know it, I had water spraying everywhere, and I was Googling "how to undo ...." It’s safe to say, by the end, we’d called a professional and were dealing with way more costs (and frustration) than if we’d just done that in the first place.

Now, let’s think about your business. Every day, businesses around the world are asking employees at all levels to navigate their roles without an understanding of how to drive the business. That’s why Business Acumen Training should be a priority for any organization that is focused on growth and long-term success.

In our experience working with over 250 global companies here are five critical reasons why investing in Business Acumen Training should be a priority:

Sales training is one of the biggest focus areas of many talent development and sales enablement strategies. Sales training includes methodology, selling skills, process, sales management, tools, frameworks, and product knowledge. However, while these competencies are important, there's an emerging and critical need to prioritize Business Acumen training to the top of the list.

During the past year, Advantexe has designed, developed, and delivered major sales training engagements for some of the most renowned sales teams on the planet. All of our engagements include a significant component of Business Acumen for Sales Professionals that provides the foundational skills to understand their customers’ business better and to also understand how their own companies generate profitable revenue.