- First, get a copy of Ram Charan, What the CEO wants you to know. It’s an introduction to business acumen in less than 150 pages. and take a look at me No ceilings, no wallsalso.
- After you’ve memorized the books, sit down and figure out how the work you do or supervise contributes (or could contribute more) to cash generation, profitable growth, customer service, and outreach and return (profit x speed). Work on this until you can draw a clear line of sight from the work of your employees to the key business results for your organization.
- Then, learn the difference between activities, outcomes, and results, and look for results.
- Finally, learn how to talk to your bosses, colleagues, direct reports, and strangers who might want to hire you, about how your leadership contributes to the business of your business.
Leadership for Women and the Disappeared 33%
Website design By BotEap.comWe have heard it many times. Half of what you need to be successful in business is “interpersonal skills.” For example, this is what executive coach Marshall Goldsmith had to say on the subject in one of his fast company columns:
Website design By BotEap.com“Your people skills often make the difference in how high you can go. Who would you rather have as CFO? A moderately good accountant who is great with people…or a brilliant accountant who is inept with [people]… The candidate with excellent social skills will win every time, largely because he (sic) will be able to… lead.”
Website design By BotEap.comBut such leadership wisdom is based on research conducted and models rooted in the 1970s. That was when almost all corporate leaders in the US were men, and when the way of thinking was one world view or the other. . For example, managers were task or relationship focused. The inference is always that if you can master both, you will come out on top. So the formula that emerged from the 1970s was 50 percent soft skills + 50 percent professional competence = 100 percent professional success.
Website design By BotEap.comBefore looking at this formula, it’s important to know that comparing performance reviews of men and women in similar jobs, with similar seniority, and at similar companies indicates that women outperform men in the area of soft skills. In fact, workweek has drawn attention to these findings with a cover story titled “As leaders, women rule.”
Website design By BotEap.comIf women excel in interpersonal skills and consistently outperform men in this field, then why don’t women hold many more positions at the top of organizations? There is a tricky answer: because soft skills and professional competence are not two halves of one whole. Together they represent only 66 percent of the entire story.
Website design By BotEap.comThe missing 33%(tm) is business acumen. That’s where bosses consistently rate men better than women. And that’s the skill set that most leadership development programs ignore.
Website design By BotEap.comSo how do you improve your business acumen?