Do you see your business the same way as your business leader does? The answer, unfortunately, is often no. And that leads to a disconnect between you and your business leader, making you feel you don’t ‘get it’, preventing you from making high impact, leaving you frustrated at times. And often business leaders scratch their head as to why others don’t see the world the way they do!
A Case in Point
Let me share an example that the CEO of one of the medical device companies shared with me. His organization focused on female reproductive health domain. They are a major player worldwide in the area and were considering an entry into male reproductive health. Given the high degree of uncertainty involved with entry into a new market, he was unsure about the sales forecast built by his team.
One day he saw a regular informational email from his medical affairs team. This team used to collect articles and market intelligence on their business. They used to focus on news about market, regulation, research, and customers. And then they used to share the articles with the rest of the organization.
That email had a news report about new research findings that showed a correlation between low sperm count and colon cancer risks. The CEO immediately sent the email to the business leader responsible for the new market entry with a single message: Triple the revenue forecast for the market.
The Struggles of a Business Leader
The point he was making to me was that he connected the dots and reached a conclusion that this news meant more sales for sperm count device. No one else, including the people collecting this intelligence, made the needed connections.
No one else, including the people collecting this intelligence, made the needed connections.
No one else, including the people collecting this intelligence, made the needed connections.
People in senior positions often find themselves in this position. But they fail to see why others don’t comprehend the business the way they do. They attribute this to a lack of ability to think, inability to connect the dots, problems with industry knowledge and many other possible causes.
Perhaps you face the same issue. You may be the business leader scratching your head about this strange occurrence. Or you may be working with a business leader who seems to get it all and leaves you wondering how come you never ‘get it.’ Imagine how it would be if most people in your organization could see the way the business leaders look at the business.
What Really Stops You From Viewing The Business Like Your Business Leader Does?
I attribute this disparity in perspective to three critical skills. Most good business leaders develop these three skills and thus acquire a unique perspective. Those who lack these three capabilities, cannot see the same way. It is like you and your business leader went to a 3D movie. He has the 3D glasses, but you don’t. As a result, what you see and what he sees are two different things, although both of you are looking at the same movie screen.
These three skills are as follows:
1. Business Acumen
After teaching and working with thousands of business managers and aspiring managers, I realized something astonishing. Most people in business organizations lack business acumen. Business acumen is the ability to make sound business decisions fast and efficiently. Most people don’t know what is involved in a sound business decision, let alone know how to make one.
Most people in business organizations lack business acumen
At the same time, a business leader by definition needs strong business acumen. Without this skill, he or she will not be able to achieve success in running a business. But most functional managers (like human resource, accounting or IT managers) have not built this skill.
In the example I shared earlier, the CEO of the medical device company quickly understood the revenue impact of the new research study. He could see how the research promises a lucrative opportunity. The medical affairs manager who collected this research didn’t understand how this piece of information would lead to more profits. And that was one significant difference in their perspectives.
2. Strategic Orientation
The second difference in how people differ from their business leaders is in their strategic orientation. Strategic orientation is best described as ‘the general’s perspective.’ While most people in the army have a limited view of war, the general has an expansive view that shows him everything.
Imagine a private in the trenches: he cannot see much beyond his immediate location. But the general sees it all. He comprehends the armies, the landscape, the relative capabilities of forces, the blind spots, and the field intelligence. This view allows the general to connect the dots in a way that a private cannot.
The same way, business leaders have a strategic orientation that gives them a broad perspective. It is not because a business leader is sitting on a proverbial hill that allows an expansive view. It is because of his mental orientation that he can take in an entire gestalt rather than parts of the business.
business leaders have a strategic orientation that gives them a broad perspective
The device company CEO saw his business, his customers, their needs, FDA regulations, the possible positioning of sperm count devices, and drivers of success in the market in one fell swoop. And with that broad perspective, he connected the dots between new research and potential market demand. The medical affairs managers most likely saw it as yet another piece of research that was interesting. And therein lies the difference.
Having taught strategic orientation to thousands of students, I know this is a learned skill. I have seen hundreds and thousands going through my programs and suddenly able to build that expansive view. When I look back over my evolution, I realize that I also developed this skill over the years.
3. Strategic Thinking
The third skill that makes a business leader see the world differently is how he or she processes information. It boils down to cognitive processing patterns of a person. Most people have not developed strategic thinking capability.
While most people find the business world to be immensely complicated, exceptional business leaders do not see that complexity. Although your business leader is aware of all the pieces of a complex world, he or she focuses on specific areas and processes information in a different way than most others do. He uses strategic thinking method on any given day rather than the associative reasoning method most others use.
I am sure you have seen the cockpit of an airplane, either directly or in a movie. A cockpit appears complex to most people. After all, it has dozens of monitors, gauges, switches, and levers. But to a pilot, it is not complex at all. The same way, while the business world appears complex to most people, business leaders see through that complexity as if it didn’t exist.
business leaders see through that complexity as if it didn’t exist.
business leaders see through that complexity as if it didn’t exist.
The ability to look at a situation and identify the heart of the matter is a critical skill known as the strategic thinking skill. It is the same skill that also allows one to determine the most influential levers in a situation. Highly effective business leaders build cognitive processing patterns that incorporate strategic thinking well.
As a result, strategic thinking skill is the third reason why you may be seeing the same picture that your business leader sees, but she may be focusing on different areas, interpreting information differently, and thinking of solutions in a very different way than you may be doing so.
[easy-tweet tweet=”Strategic Orientation, Business Acumen, and Strategic Thinking are the three key skills you need”]
Anyone Can Master These Three Skills
After taking thousands of people through these three skills in my classes, workshops and consulting engagements, I know that everyone can learn them. And when they do so, they can see the world in the same way as their business leaders do. As a result, they can have a much higher impact. Every organization can benefit from these three skills.
Business acumen will give you a new North star to guide your thinking and decision making. Strategic Orientation would allow you to see a complex world as one whole. And finally, Strategic thinking will help you focus on the most critical parts of a situation and build the most robust solutions. Together, the three of them will give you a powerful way to see the world as your business leader does.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, or off-topic. If in doubt, read my Comments Policy.