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."
Finance & StrategyDuration: 2-2.5 Days
Format: In-person
Finance is the Language of Business—prepare leaders to think strategically and make decisions with financial clarity.
Key Learning Objectives
This two-day simulation develops leaders who think strategically and use financial tools to navigate complex business environments. Participants tackle global market drivers, disruptive technologies, and high-stakes challenges to refine their ability to lead in a dynamic world.
By participating in this workshop, leaders will:
Navigate disruptive market forces, such as the introduction of new technologies or products, and adapt strategies accordingly.
Master advanced financial concepts, including time value of money, foreign exchange, and hedging.
Strengthen skills in balancing short-term operational needs with long-term strategic planning.
Analyze global business dynamics, including competitive positioning, market volatility, and cross-border considerations.
Learn how to manage risk and seize opportunities in a fast-changing environment.
Collaborate across functions to develop innovative solutions and align decisions with organizational goals.
Outcomes for Your Organization
This workshop ensures your organization is led by individuals who align financial performance with strategic goals, foster innovation, and adapt to disruptions with confidence. By equipping leaders with advanced tools and a global perspective, your organization builds resilience and secures sustainable growth.
Your organization will benefit from:
Leadership teams that see beyond short-term goals, aligning decisions with the company’s long-term strategy.
Leaders skilled in navigating market fluctuations, managing risk, and capitalizing on opportunities.
Improved collaboration and decision-making across departments through a shared financial language—because finance is the language of business.
A leadership culture focused on sustainable growth, global agility, and strategic foresight.
Teams that confidently adapt to disruptions, ensuring resilience in the face of change.
Ready to Bring These Results to Your Organization?
Take the first step toward transforming your team’s decision-making skills.
Global Learning
Participants will step into the role of business leaders, making high-stakes decisions that affect the company’s growth, profitability, and long-term strategy.
They’ll navigate complex market dynamics, forecasting cash flow, adjusting pricing, and managing capacity—all while balancing risk and opportunity.
Teams will collaborate on strategic decisions, adapting to global market conditions, technological disruptions, and unforeseen challenges.
And they’ll see how strategic choices ripple across the organization, influencing every aspect of the business.
Better Business Acumen
→ Better Business Results
Michelin Manager Prevents a Cash Flow Crisis
Simulation insights lead to fast action during a supplier strike.
A few days after attending a strategic-level Income|Outcome workshop, a Michelin plant manager faced unexpected news: a key brake supplier to General Motors, Michelin’s largest customer, was about to go on strike.
Thanks to the workshop, the manager immediately recalled a key scenario from the game board: unsold tires piling up in Finished Goods Inventory and no cash coming in from Receivables.
Rather than risk a cash flow bottleneck, the manager took action:
- Selling off tires quickly to reduce inventory.
- Adjusting production schedules to prevent overproduction and preserve cash reserves.
Without the workshop, the manager admitted, they would have kept producing tires, piling them up unsold and leading to inevitable cash flow problems.
What Happened Here?
Insight: The manager applied cash flow awareness from the workshop to real-world events.
Action: They sold off inventory and adjusted production schedules to protect cash flow.
Result:
- Avoided a cash flow crisis.
- Demonstrated the real-time impact of financial acumen in a fast-moving situation.
→ A rapid and appropriate response to an unexpected event is a Better Business Result!
The Program
Senior managers and executives at Michelin participated in a strategically challenging three-day program: Managing a Global Business. Teams were so engaged that they often held planning meetings as late as 11 p.m. to refine their strategies for the next day.
While the workshop did not specifically address supply chain disruptions or strikes, it heightened participants' awareness of potential risks. One manager, inspired by the simulation, vividly envisioned tires piling up on his game board and warehouses filling up due to a strike. This flash of insight led him to take immediate action.
Better Business Decisions at Michelin
In 1996, Michelin North America began using Income|Outcome across the organization to build financial acumen and improve strategic decision-making among its employees. The program was integrated into various business units, helping teams align financial goals with operational strategies and identify opportunities for cost savings and revenue growth.
Almost 30 years later Michelin North America continues to run the simulation, and continues to generate ongoing tales of 'business bravado'.
The Ultimate Finance for Non-Finance Managers Solution
In today’s business environment, strategy and finance go hand in hand. Finance & Strategy is a 2-day immersive workshop that gives your leaders the tools they need to navigate complex business challenges. This program is designed to help participants understand the financial implications of their strategic decisions, ensuring long-term business success.
What to Expect
In this program, participants don’t just learn—they lead. Over two days, they will take on the roles of key decision-makers within a business, where every move they make has real consequences. They’ll strategize, forecast, and adjust to market conditions, all while managing cash flow, pricing, capacity, and R&D.
This isn’t a quick overview; it’s an in-depth experience that gives your leaders the skills and confidence to make decisions that drive sustainable growth. This program gives leaders the hands-on experience they need to drive business success.
Income|Outcome Aha! Moments
Case Studies in Learning
“We Spent So Much on R&D, We Couldn’t Afford to Implement It!”
Income|Outcome gives R&D teams a real-world experience of business thinking.
At the very first Income|Outcome public workshop, a participant from a pharmaceutical company — the Head of Learning & Development — raised a request midway through the session. She loved the program, but wanted more emphasis on R&D. It’s critical in the pharma industry, and her R&D teams need to understand how the business actually works.
We immediately modified the simulation to include some R&D investment dynamics, without disrupting the flow of the game. The result was that her team spent so heavily on R&D that they couldn’t afford to implement any improvements.
Her team was frustrated, but she was thrilled.
Participant reaction: “This is so real-world. Our R&D groups need to see what happens when they focus only on innovation without considering the financial impact.”
What Happened Here?
R&D teams gained business insight: They experienced how cash flow and operational constraints impact their ability to execute innovations — and why financial literacy matters to R&D success.
Audience
This program is designed for leaders, individual contributors and decision-makers who need to connect their strategic thinking with financial outcomes. It’s ideal for those who understand that true leadership requires time, practice, and a deep dive into finance and strategy.
"A great way to visualize financial data."
Customization Options
Every organization is unique, and we tailor Finance & Strategy to reflect the specific challenges your company faces. Whether it’s navigating global markets or optimizing internal processes, we’ll ensure the simulation is relevant and impactful for your team.
Why Invest in Finance & Strategy?
Shorter programs provide a good introduction to understanding business, but longer programs like Finance & Strategy deliver deep learning that sticks. When your leaders have the time to fully engage with complex scenarios, they develop the strategic thinking and financial acumen needed to guide your company through challenges and drive long-term success. The results speak for themselves, as seen in the Beam Case Study—where participants’ new insights led directly to measurable financial gains--one sales executive increased profits by $700,000 in the first year!
Personal Development
Each workshop delivers outcomes that help your team advance their careers
Participants will:
Develop advanced skills in navigating market dynamics and managing financial complexity.
Master tools to analyze global trends and mitigate risks in a volatile environment.
Refine strategic thinking to align financial performance with long-term goals.
Strengthen cross-functional collaboration to drive innovation and organizational alignment.
Build adaptability and resilience to thrive in fast-changing global markets.
Ready to Invest in Long-Term Success?
Give your leaders the tools they need to succeed. Contact us to learn how Finance & Strategy can help your team make decisions that shape your company’s future.
"Seeing the payables and receivables in visual form really brought the balance sheet to life."