How to Choose Business Acumen Training for Managers and Leaders

By Steven Haines

Choose business acumen training by starting with the decisions managers need to make more effectively. Then examine whether the program develops the business understanding, analytical discipline, and practical application those decisions require.

A course title and a list of topics are not enough to establish fit.

Before selecting a provider, clarify what your organization wants managers to do differently. Do they need to understand the broader business, evaluate investment requests, make cross-functional tradeoffs, or connect their work to strategy?

Those needs can belong within the same development effort, but they should not be treated as interchangeable.

Define the business need before comparing programs

A request for business acumen training may begin with a general concern: “Our managers need to be more commercial,” or “They need to think like business leaders.”

Translate that concern into work.

Ask the executive sponsor:

• Which decisions are not meeting expectations?
• What is missing from the recommendations managers bring forward?
• Where do functional priorities conflict with business priorities?
• What should managers be able to explain or evaluate after development?
• What evidence would show that they are applying what they learned?

The answers create a practical basis for evaluating programs.

For example, if managers need to improve investment recommendations, a suitable program should give them practice defining a problem, examining options, considering financial implications, and explaining the strategic rationale.

A general introduction to business terminology may not be sufficient for that assignment.

Look beyond financial literacy

Financial understanding belongs within business acumen. Managers need to understand how their choices affect revenue, costs, profit, and cash.

But a program that stops at financial statements may leave important questions unanswered.

How does the company create value for customers? What influences demand? How do competitors affect choices? How do departments depend on one another? What makes a proposed investment strategically important?

My approach in The Business Acumen Handbook connects internal business information with customer, industry, and competitive information. The purpose is to use that understanding in decisions and action.

When evaluating a program, ask how those connections are taught.

You are not looking for the longest syllabus. You are looking for a coherent explanation of how the business works and opportunities to use it.

Check the fit with participants’ responsibilities

Managers do not all begin with the same experience or face the same decisions.

A newly appointed manager may need to understand the company’s business model and cross-functional relationships. An experienced functional leader may need more practice evaluating strategic options or balancing competing investments.

Ask the provider how it will establish the appropriate starting point.

Useful inputs can include sponsor conversations, participant information, work examples, and an assessment of current capabilities.

Also clarify the intended audience. A program designed for individual contributors may not address the judgment expected of managers. A program for senior leaders may assume knowledge that less experienced participants have not yet developed.

The content and difficulty should fit the work, not merely the job titles.

Examine what participants will do

A program description may promise practical learning. Ask what that means.

Will participants analyze a business situation? Interpret information? Compare alternatives? Explain a recommendation? Receive feedback?

Consider this illustrative assignment:

A company wants to improve service for an important customer group. Participants must evaluate the customer need, current service performance, operational requirements, financial implications, and possible responses.

That assignment creates opportunities to connect several dimensions of the business. It also gives the facilitator something to examine beyond whether participants remember terminology.

Ask to see a representative exercise and understand how it will be discussed.

Clarify what customization includes

Customization should have a purpose.

Replacing a logo or adding industry references is different from using the organization’s priorities, decision challenges, and business context to shape the learning.

Before committing, ask:

• What information will the provider need?
• Which parts of the program can be adapted?
• How will confidential information be handled?
• Will internal leaders contribute context?
• What preparation is expected from participants?
• What remains standardized, and why?

There can be good reasons to use a consistent framework or a common case. The important point is to understand how the design serves your objectives.

Plan application before the program begins

Decide how participants will use the learning when they return to work.

One option is to ask each manager to select an upcoming decision or recommendation. During the program, they apply the concepts. Afterward, they discuss the work with their manager or a relevant colleague.

For example, participants might prepare a short decision brief covering:

• The business problem.
• Relevant evidence.
• Alternatives and tradeoffs.
• The recommended action.
• Expected results and measures.

This is a proposed application method, not a requirement for every program. Its value is that it makes the expected use of the learning explicit.

The organization must also decide who will review the work and provide feedback.

Agree on evidence of progress

Completion and participant satisfaction answer useful questions, but they do not establish whether managers are making better business decisions.

I recommend agreeing on a small set of application measures before delivery.

These might include whether participants can explain cross-functional consequences, use a broader range of evidence, compare alternatives, or connect recommendations to strategic priorities.

Business results require careful interpretation. A change in profit, growth, or customer retention can have many causes. Do not attribute an improvement to training without examining other influences.

For 2027 planning, a credible development proposal should explain both what participants will learn and how the organization will examine its use.

Discuss a program built around your needs

The Business Acumen Institute provides business acumen training and capability assessments. Contact us to discuss your audience, business priorities, and the decisions your managers need to make more effectively.

Drawing on The Business Acumen Handbook by Steven Haines.