Business Acumen for Finance Managers
Published Date
One of the great advantages of running open-enrollment workshops within a corporation is the diverse mix of participants from different departments. These workshops bring together managers from various functions, sitting side by side as teammates. Naturally, their differing priorities surface in discussions and decisions.
Sales might say, “Drop the prices, or the competition will undercut us, and we’ll lose market share.”
Finance counters with, “Raise the prices, or we’ll never turn a profit.”
After a few rounds of decision-making, the results speak for themselves. When Sales gets their way, profits disappear. When Finance takes control, the company gets shut out of the market. With time and experience, the arguments shift. Sales begins advocating for higher prices, while Finance champions more competitive pricing.
These shifts reveal a deeper insight: business decisions cannot succeed when viewed solely through the lens of a single department. Each function must understand the impact of its choices on the whole.
While we often describe our workshops as “Finance for Non-Finance Managers,” the lessons extend equally to Finance professionals. Like their colleagues, they have often spent their careers within a departmental silo. Gaining insight into the challenges of Sales, Marketing, or Operations helps finance professionals better support and collaborate with their peers.
To build a healthy, successful business, each department’s role must be appreciated, and its concerns must be considered. In this sense, every participant—regardless of function—has something to learn and something to teach.
That’s why, depending on the audience, we also proudly call these workshops:
“Non-Finance for Finance Managers.”
It really is Business Acumen for Everyone!
