Business Acumen: The Driving Factor for an Engaged Workforce

Take a moment, and think of what you would define as a “bad job.” Is it getting low pay or compensation? Zero chance of promotion? Or possibly a lack of culture/not feeling engaged or cared about? 

Pay and promotions can be a great drive and bonus, but it’s the engagement that needs to be addressed most for organizations today. How employees feel about their organization sets the tone and mindset for their actions and also their impact within the organization. If you don’t feel like your job cares about you, why should you care about your job? 

Engagement is the key. Employees are the business and need to be developed accordingly. And the way to most actively gets employees engaged is to create a culture of business acumen. Business acumen is a thorough understanding of how a business works, how it makes money, and how strategies and decisions impact financial, operational, and sales results. It’s not a new idea, but it’s clearly one that’s not going away, and for good reason. 

With a complete understanding of the business and the bottom-line impact, employees obtain the knowledge that drives them to make better decisions and gain a “business owner” mentality. Without this push to make employees feel validated, integral and empowered, their disengagement only drives business and growth to a halt. 

I have worked multiple jobs that focus heavily on getting employees working/selling/promoting as soon as possible, rather than taking the time to efficiently merge them into the company culture. They always start with the same boring, repetitive, out of date videos that focus on safety, theft prevention, and always wearing a smile. 

This setup doesn’t fully engage the new hire or prepare them for their new role. Do they even feel important to the company? Will they have the mindset that they make a difference? It’s no wonder these people are turning into zombies, actively disengaged from their work. 

But when business acumen training is advanced and a key component through the organization, employees’ well-being is enhanced, they ask the right questions, notice the impact of decisions and have the drive and business owner mentality that will create growth in all the desired areas.

To learn more on the link between business acumen and employee engagement, check out our webcast, sponsored by Human Capital Institute.