5 Ways to Better Your Business Acumen

Bruce is the founder of ProjectManagementHacks.com, a resource for growing IT project managers.

  Business Analysis   Business Case   Career Development  

There is no single strategy that will progress your career. However, there are specific deficiencies that may be holding you back—and insufficient business acumen is one of them. It is a quiet killer for your dreams of advancement.

Regardless of your situation, you can always improve your business acumen over time. A lack of business acumen might affect these people more than others…

• New graduates: If you are a full-time student or graduated less than 24 months ago, your business acumen is likely limited. This was my situation earlier in my career. I was told that my writing style was "academic and not suitable for business." It was an important lesson to learn!
• Career/industry/company changers: Are you switching to project management from a different field? Or maybe you are a project manager who is changing industries. Making these changes can unlock new opportunities for career growth. At the same time, it is also vital to recognize that you will be playing catch-up for a while compared to others who are more experienced.
• PM who recently moved to a new country: Even with all of the knowledge and experience you might have, your business acumen might need fine-tuning if you move to a new country. For example, you may know the enterprise technology industry deeply in Japan. When you move to another country, only some aspects of your business …

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