In “Seeing the Big Picture,” Kevin Cope makes the case for growing your business acumen. If you’re like me, you work within a specialized area (marketing, in my case). Although your knowledge can run deep in that area, your knowledge of other areas can occasionally be lacking. In meetings, conversations can go over your head and you aren’t able to contribute anything meaningful to the discussion. This book takes complex business concepts and breaks them down to understandable, every day language.
The core of the book discusses the five drivers of business: Cash, Profit, Assets, Growth, and People. Each of these are important elements that should be seen as a whole and compliment each other. For example, no business can survive for long without profit. But if you solely focus on profit at the expense of working with great people (perhaps quickly hiring the cheapest, least qualified employees you can find), the business may be profitable in the very short term but overall will soon suffer in the long run.
In many ways, the book serves as a “pocket” MBA – a reference to help you solidify concepts and understand how they work together. It’s a great read for both the experienced business person who needs a refresher and the novice still building a foundation of knowledge.
Learn more about the book and Kevin Cope’s programs at seeingthebigpicture.com