Defining Business Acumen

Business acumen means different things to different people, encompassing various skills and knowledge. This is what it means to us:

Business acumen is a 3-sided discipline. It's the ability to understand how the pieces of a business fit together, including knowing where to find the data and how to use it; make your decisions with a clear expected outcome; and check whether the financial results matched what was expected.

This page offers a collection of diverse definitions to help you understand the multifaceted nature of business acumen, highlighting its importance in financial literacy, decision-making, strategic planning, and overall business success.

What is Business Acumen

"Business acumen is defined as having a fundamental understanding of how a business operates, then using that knowledge effectively to make logical business decisions. Business acumen is a portfolio of knowledge, technical skills, and soft skills, used to positively impact an organization and its employees."
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business acumen is… a good understanding of how all the pieces of a business fit together to produce a coherent set of actions and a financial result."
Gordon Allison, CFO - World Vision Australia
WorldVision
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business Acumen is a gift. It is a skill that gives people the ability to make good judgments. It also allows them to take quick decisions in business situations. Put simply, people with business acumen make commercially successful decisions.‍"
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business acumen is… a good understanding of how all the pieces of a business fit together to produce a coherent set of actions and a financial result."
Gordon Allison, CFO
World Vision Australia
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business acumen, sometimes referred to as business sense or business savvy, is a person's ability to understand various business scenarios and cope with them effectively. People with strong business acumen skills can better understand business issues, adapt and remain flexible during times of change, comprehend business operations and provide quality insight as to how to achieve goals and ensure business success."
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business acumen is the ability to link keen insights about and a thorough assessment of the business landscape with an awareness of how money is made and then executing a strategy that delivers results"
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Acumen refers to the ability to think quickly, use good judgment and understand concepts, often in a particular area. Financial acumen refers to your ability to see the financial effects and relationships of various aspects of your business."
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"I think business acumen is an understanding of what an organisation does or needs to do to work and how the market works too. It's asking questions outside of your role and knowing how your role and others fit together to get the best outcomes. Also understanding how decisions you make can affect other areas."
Tamsyn Parry, Director of Finance
World Vision New Zealand
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Every company is a machine. When we make business decisions we are pulling levers on the machine. Business acumen is knowing what effect it’ll have on the machine before you pull the lever."
Nikolai Usack, Executive VP - Andromeda Simulations International
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business Acumen is the learned ability applied constantly in business to focus on what is important and manage the drivers of business success, which results in improved business performance and measurable outcomes.‍"
Barry Johnson, Chartered Accountant
Income|Outcome Australia
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business acumen is the ability to understand and deal with business risks and opportunities in a manner that is likely to facilitate a good outcome. It involves financial literacy, strategic thinking, market awareness, and operational insight. "
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is Business Acumen?

"Business acumen is a 3-sided discipline. It's the ability to understand how the pieces of a business fit together, including knowing where to find the data and how to use it; make your decisions with a clear expected outcome; and check whether the financial results matched what was expected."
Andromeda Simulations International
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

What is the Importance of Business Acumen?

"Everyday people make decisions in their job. They should understand how their choices impact the bottom line. "
eliza hl, co-Founder, Andromeda Simulations International
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.

Why Should I Focus on Business Acumen?

"Business Acumen is the glue that holds your company together. It clarifies roles, it improves speed and accuracy of communication, it develops respect and morale. It is essential to financial success and for reaching company objectives."
eliza hl, co-Founder, Andromeda Simulations International
Business acumen as the ability to see the big picture, make better decisions, and drive business success through financial understanding.