Effective training requires knowing the business: what it does, what it needs and how it responds in different situations. That understanding comes from continually developing business acumen.
For training professionals, this is especially important because they often hold a type of “dual citizenship.” They are part of the broader training industry, while also belonging to the specific industry they serve, whether that’s health care, manufacturing, finance or another sector. This balance between primary and secondary industries isn’t unique to learning and development (L&D). Professionals in human resources (HR) and information technology (IT) professionals face the same tension.
The key to success is to treat your organization’s industry as your primary focus, with your training expertise as secondary. Over the course of your career, you may find that your “primary industry” shifts, but your training skills — your “second industry” — continue to grow and strengthen.
To put this into perspective: In a hospital setting, your success won’t be measured by how engaging your presentation was. It will be measured by how well you helped the doctors and nurses achieve their goals. That’s the value of business acumen.
To keep that focus as a business professional within your primary industry, you must take the following actions.
1. Learn Primary Industry History, Regulations and Trends
Every industry has factors that influence it. Sometimes that influence is innovation and emerging technology, and sometimes it is legally enforced requirements. No matter the source, you need to understand what factors could cause your company and its leaders to shift direction suddenly. The best way to do this is by learning the history, regulations and trends impacting your industry — and how your company fits into that bigger picture.
This foundation of knowledge will serve you well when explaining company culture, the value different functions bring to the business or even why a new employee’s role exists.
Regulations, in particular, give most companies anxiety. If you work in a heavily regulated industry, words like “audit,” “inspection” or “exam” can put people on edge. But in these situations, knowledge is power. Find the regulations and read them. Make friends with the compliance or internal audit team. Don’t neglect the HR regulations. Knowing what your company must do to stay compliant will help you identify what you should do to set it up for success.
Every industry is in a constant state of evolution. Pay attention to the word on the street and stay aware of what’s new. You might not adopt a new technology right away, but you’ll be better off if you are already familiar with it if and when the time comes. This can help you avoid becoming a bottleneck when your company is ready to take action.
2. Shadow the Front (and Back) Lines
If you are going to tell people what to do, you should probably know how things are done. Maybe you spent two weeks touring all the main roles in the company when you first started, but if it’s been six months or more since you last saw how customer calls are handled or products are built, chances are things have changed — often for the better, if training is working.
Make it a habit to check in regularly. Make intentional visits to each department you serve to see how things are operating in the normal flow of work. What you learn during those visits can shape your strategy for the future.
3. Take Your Boss’s Boss to Lunch
Skip-level interactions are a great way to glean insight into what the company cares about. If your main interactions with decision-makers are just within the training team, you won’t get a very clear picture of what matters elsewhere. Taking a non-training superior to a business lunch will help to conversationally highlight where your priorities should be.
As a bonus, this kind of facetime also helps you build visibility with the people involved in succession planning.
4. Sit on Committees
Out of all these suggestions, this is the “boring” one. Being part of a committee means extra meetings, extra emails and extra non-training work. But that’s precisely the point. Your first priority needs to be the company you serve, not just the training you deliver.
Those extra meetings and extra emails all contribute to your knowledge of how things work and how decisions actually get made. Those extra projects? They help prove to you — and others — that you know the business outside of your training bubble. So, go to all of those committee meetings and take notes. Read all of the emails and ask questions. Do the projects and do them alongside other people. Then take what you learn and use it to make your training organization more effective.
5. Talk to Other Primary Industry Trainers
One of the perks of “dual citizenship” is that you can connect with peers who are navigating the same challenges. Seek out other trainers in your industry and learn from their experiences.
Look for professional associations within your industry. They might have a message board for different job roles, including training. Sometimes you can find them at the state, national and international level. If there’s no established channels, get on social media and make one. It is very unlikely that you are the only training professional in your primary industry. Reach out, find others and share what you know. They are sure to have great tips about training, the industry and combining the two.
Build Business Acumen Every Day
Training only has impact when it moves the business forward. By keeping your industry focus first and your training expertise second, you’ll strengthen your business acumen and build credibility. Make this a daily habit, and you’ll shift from being a training expert to being a trusted business partner who creates meaningful results.
