--- title: The Business Acumen Skill of Attention to Detail description: Leveraging the foundational business acumen skill of attention-to-detail skills to help drive performance. image: https://www.advantexe.com/hubfs/Blogs/attention.jpg --- [![logo-advantexe-150.png](https://www.advantexe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-advantexe-150.png?width=150&height=123&name=logo-advantexe-150.png "logo-advantexe-150.png")](https://www.advantexe.com) ![blog-banner-2022](https://www.advantexe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-banner-2022.png?width=973&name=blog-banner-2022.png "blog-banner-2022") ### The Advantexe Advisor Blog - providing a deep and applicable understanding of the system of business. # The Business Acumen Skill of Attention to Detail By Robert Brodo | Oct 8, 2016 9:05:00 AM | [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advantexe.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-business-acumen-skill-of-attention-to-detail%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advantexe.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-business-acumen-skill-of-attention-to-detail%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advantexe.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-business-acumen-skill-of-attention-to-detail%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advantexe.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-business-acumen-skill-of-attention-to-detail%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=The%20Business%20Acumen%20Skill%20of%20Attention%20to%20Detail) [![Share on Pinterest](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/pinterest-24x24.png)](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advantexe.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-business-acumen-skill-of-attention-to-detail%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dpinterest&media=) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advantexe.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-business-acumen-skill-of-attention-to-detail%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advantexe.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-business-acumen-skill-of-attention-to-detail%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) **Three Tips to Embrace Doing a Great Job** In our fast-past 25/7, I mean 24/7 volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous business world of ![attention.jpg](https://www.advantexe.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs/attention.jpg?width=250&name=attention.jpg "attention.jpg")2016 and beyond, the foundational [business acumen skill](https://www.advantexe.com/business-acumen) of paying attention to details is becoming lost and as a result, performance and outcomes are suffering. The virtual workforce, the increased amount of workload, and higher expectations has created a business culture where just “getting things done” has turned into the metrics of success; not fulfilling your business strategy of delivering a competitive, winning value proposition to customers. As I travel the world working with organizations and leaders to improve Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Selling Skills, I hear every day the following when I ask how things are going. “I’m frustrated. We are working so hard, but the attention to detail and the ability to move from good to great is simply not skills that people embrace anymore.” One leader I spoke with shared an interesting story. “Back in the day, people held each other accountable. If someone didn’t hold up his or her end of a project, there would be yelling, screaming and things would get thrown. People were afraid of failure and public humiliation for not doing a great job. Today, if you don’t do a great job, you get the gift of feedback, a gold star for trying, and told to do a better job next time.” Obviously, we have matured and grown since those days but the challenge still remains. How do you lead and create a culture where attention to detail is a core function of Business Acumen. Based on research, focus groups, and working with a lot of leaders in this areas, I present three simple things you can do to create better attention-to-detail skills: **Plan** Planning should be like breathing. It is not an option, it is not something nice to do; it is a critical to do. Attention to detail in the business acumen process is all about planning our strategy, goals, objectives, and the tasks associated with achieving success. It is about time management and prioritization which means stepping back from the tornado of work and looking at the work in a way that is strategic and well thought out. It is also about planning to develop skills if there are lacking. In a world of constant change, new skills are required every day and can range from using basic software to sophisticated tools of supply chain management. **Commit to the Concept that Quality is Non-negotiable** No matter what the value proposition of your company to your customers, quality in terms of the work needed to deliver that value proposition to your customers is non-negotiable. It is a concept that transcends the work itself into the personality and heart of your organization and ultimately may be the most difficult thing a leader has so do. You need to hire people who have that commitment and you have to train people to embrace that commitment. And if they don’t have it or refuse to make the commitment then you have no other choice then to exit them from your company as a lack of commitment to quality will destroy your career and ultimately the company. **Embrace the Little Things** A lot of little things make a big thing. Leaders must create an environment where people care about little things like how many times the phone rings in the office until answered to how long it takes to respond to a customer email. Not paying attention to the little things at work is another sign of a lack of commitment that is a direct function of quality and the delivery of the value proposition. Some leaders I have spoken with suggest that not everyone has the personality style to pay attention to the little things; that they are just big picture people. Again, in a world that is changing so quickly, that can no longer be an excuse as most people working in business have to wear many hats. **Take a Quick Quiz** Whether you are a leader of a business, leader of people, or an individual contributor, take a few moments to think about your current business environment. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being Super Awesome and 1 being Poor, how would you rate the following? **Skills, Competencies, and Commitment to Planning             __________** **Belief that a Commitment to Quality is Non-Negotiable      __________** **Culture and Commitment to the Little Things                          __________** If you didn’t answer “5” to every one of the question, you need to step back and thing about ways of changing as soon as you can. [![Why Business Acumen Matters ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1153922/ef562d5a-acb6-45df-86ae-098c09e7fcc0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1153922/ef562d5a-acb6-45df-86ae-098c09e7fcc0) ![Robert Brodo](https://www.advantexe.com/hubfs/Blogs/rob-brodo-author.png) **About The Author** Robert Brodo is co-founder of Advantexe. He has more than 20 years of training and business simulation experience. 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