The Analytics Power Hour – Episode #289: The Imperative of Developing Business Acumen
Release Date: January 20, 2026
Hosts: Michael Helbling, Moe Kiss, Tim Wilson, Val Kroll, Julie Hoyer

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Analytics Power Hour team unpacks the often-overlooked skill of business acumen and its critical importance for analytics professionals. They discuss what “business acumen” actually means, why it’s essential for analysts, data scientists, and engineers, and share practical strategies for developing it. The conversation is a candid, humorous, and sometimes provocative exploration into how technical prowess alone isn’t enough—analysts must also understand business context to be true strategic partners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining “Business Acumen” for Analysts

Timestamps: 01:15 – 04:25

• Dual-aspect Definition: Tim Wilson introduces two aspects (01:45):

  • General business knowledge: Finances, P&Ls, marketing, business models—skills transferable across industries.
  • Contextual knowledge: Deep, situational understanding of one’s own organization’s unique challenges and internal/external dynamics.
    • “This is something you build over time... But then there’s another type of acumen: knowledge of your business, the company you work for, and understanding where they are unique.” – Tim (01:45)

• Industry Acumen as a Third Dimension:

  • Moe points out knowing your sector (e.g., e-commerce vs. FMCG) adds another facet to business acumen (04:03).

2. Navigating Knowledge Bias and Analytical Blind Spots

Timestamps: 06:08 – 08:22

• Moe warns about getting too comfortable with a single perspective or business area, referencing Richard Heuer’s Psychology of Intelligence Analysis (06:08).
• Michael: Exploring multiple functions within the business—finance, marketing, sales, merchandising—prevents “analysis that isn’t aggressive or fresh” (07:12).

3. Decision-making Dynamics Within Organizations

Timestamps: 08:22 – 11:04

• Understanding who makes decisions and how is key.
  • “How does the business make decisions? Who are the key decision makers?…It tells you so much about the culture and the ways of working.” – Moe (09:06)
• Analysts are often best positioned to “connect the dots” between departments, pushing beyond siloed thinking (09:38).

4. Balancing Stakeholder Motivations and Recommendations

Timestamps: 11:04 – 12:14

• Val: Analysts should anticipate and navigate conflicting motivations—e.g., Marketing’s vs. Sales’ definition of a “lead”—to make actionable, relevant recommendations.

5. Learning (Sometimes the Hard Way) about Business Context

Timestamps: 14:01 – 19:21

• Moe shares about misunderstanding subscription vs. transactional revenue and the importance of specifying metrics like “annualized recurring revenue” (14:09).
• Tim recounts an ROI report failure, where accounting misaligned costs and revenue timing, exemplifying how misunderstanding business mechanics can derail good intentions (15:24–19:21).

6. How to Rapidly Develop Business Acumen

Timestamps: 20:16 – 26:50

• Moe’s onboarding method: Deep-dive into a specific subject area’s data, but also “have as many coffees as possible” with colleagues to ask questions (21:07).
• Tim: Managers must point new hires to the “right people” to talk to for context (22:13).
• Michael: Mapping how money and decisions flow uncovers motivations and potential misalignments (23:54).
• Consultants often have “permission to take audience” and can rapidly pursue organizational knowledge through structured stakeholder interviews (26:14).

7. Research, Preparation & the Pitfalls of Excessive Questioning

Timestamps: 26:59 – 30:57

• Reading public financial statements and company communications (10-Ks, earnings calls) is helpful but underutilized (27:01).
• Balance is needed—asking for information endlessly becomes annoying. Analysts should come prepared, make assumptions explicit, and use tools like ChatGPT as a starting point (28:30).

8. Making Actionable, Business-Relevant Recommendations

Timestamps: 30:57 – 34:49

• Recommendations must relate to actual levers the audience controls; otherwise, analysis loses impact (30:57).
• Testing recommendations and vetting analysis with informed “sanity checkers” (internal stakeholders) increases credibility and reduces the risk of “being ejected” (34:49).

9. Timing, Empathy, and the Speed of Business Decisions

Timestamps: 39:53 – 43:17

• Moe highlights “business timing” as a key, under-appreciated element—sometimes analysts deliver great work that’s no longer relevant because the business moved on (39:53).
• The group stresses the need to match analysis speed and rigor to business pressure and decision risk—sometimes “directional” answers are what’s needed (42:01).

10. Building Empathy and Partnerships

Timestamps: 45:05 – 47:13

• Val: Delivering “inconvenient truths” is hard but necessary—helping stakeholders communicate difficult findings is part of being a partner (45:05).
• Tim: Good partners pull in the right people (e.g., market research, experimentation) when the skillset needed falls outside analytics (46:13).

11. Business Acumen: Not Just for Analysts

Timestamps: 47:13 – 54:57

• All agree: Business acumen is critical for everyone in the data org—analysts, engineers, data scientists. Technical excellence isn’t enough (47:29).
• Tim: Analysts can spiral too deeply into technical details and lose sight of business relevance; a “conscious effort” is needed to keep business top-of-mind (48:14).
• Michael: A fulfilling data career requires reaching “up into the business” (49:32).
• On MBAs: Views are mixed, with Tim crediting his degree for helping him recognize big-picture business patterns, but not seeing it as strictly necessary. “Mini-MBAs,” rotations, and customer-proximity experiences are also valuable for empathy and context (50:49–53:39).

12. Leveraging AI and Self-learning

Timestamps: 54:57 – 56:17

• Michael: Today’s AI tools can substitute for some initial business context-gathering—useful for getting up to speed or digging into unfamiliar topics.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “two types” of business acumen:
  “One is knowledge of business, like, itself…Then there’s another type…knowledge of your business, the company you work for...understanding where they are unique.”
  — Tim Wilson (01:45)
• On practical learning:
  “My advice to every new starter is spend your first month having coffees...have a list of questions. For me, that’s how I absorb information and learn.”
  — Moe Kiss (21:07)
• On over-indexing on stakeholder feedback:
  “You need to stop asking for context and start coming to the table with some ideas.”
  — Moe Kiss (27:14)
• On the perils of analysis without business context:
  “You’re technically correct, but business wrong.”
  — Michael Helbling (33:32)
• On building trust through preparation:
  “If you make a recommendation that is so off-base…unwind some of your thinking as quickly as you can to show why you got to that conclusion.”
  — Val Kroll (33:39)
• On empathy and speed:
  “Building your business acumen helps build your empathy for stakeholders because you’re really in tune with the decisions that need to be made, the pressure they’re under...”
  — Val Kroll (41:05)
• On who needs business acumen:
  “Everyone. Data engineers should be.” — Tim Wilson (47:29)
  “Here’s how a product manager is going to answer a business question…that’s business acumen.” — Moe Kiss (47:34)

Important Timestamps & Segment Highlights

• [01:15] – Episode theme and opening framing
• [01:45] – [04:25] – Deep dive into definitions of business acumen; general, organizational, industry dimensions
• [14:09] – Practical story: misunderstanding revenue models between industries
• [15:24] – [19:21] – Tim’s cautionary tale about misaligned ROI measurement and organizational learning
• [21:07] – Moe’s “coffee strategy” for onboarding and rapid learning
• [28:30] – Why analysts must balance prep and action (and how ChatGPT is helpful)
• [30:57] – Ensuring recommendations are actionable for the audience
• [39:53] – The necessity of understanding business timing for relevant analytics
• [47:29] – Consensus: Everyone in data, including engineers, needs business acumen
• [50:49] – [53:39] – Debate: MBAs, “mini-MBAs,” and deep-immersion methods for business learning

Closing Thoughts & Resources

• MBAs and Alternatives: While a full MBA isn’t required, structured learning—whether coursework, “mini-MBAs,” or direct role shadowing—provides value depending on one’s learning style and career goals.
• AI as a Learning Accelerator: Leverage LLMs and online resources to quickly gain a baseline understanding of business topics before meeting business stakeholders.
• Recommended Resource:
  • Commoncog — Articles, discussion, and case studies for building practical business acumen (Michael Helbling, 63:00).
• Empathy is Everything: The panel repeatedly returns to empathy—understanding the pressures, timing, and motivations of business partners is as critical as mastering data tools or modeling skills.

Final Advice

“Go get better at understanding the business. It’s going to help your career…make you more influential, make you more impactful…no matter what your level or your years of experience, keep analyzing.”
— Michael Helbling (64:55)

For more, connect with the hosts on LinkedIn, Measure Slack, or via their website. And, as always, keep analyzing!