p. 98 p. 116 (a part of the discussion of competence)
Business Judgment
Building business judgment is an elusive part of becoming competent and developing professionally. In addition to knowing the technical side, you must strive to learn about the business. Even as a new employee, it’s necessary to find out what’s going on around you and especially how the management thinks. Sources of information include group meetings or orientations, publications, lunchtime conversations, and company or industry websites. One of the most important sources can be conversations with your supervisor. All of these will give you information on the company or organization and its business.

But as you learn the business your goal is not to accumulate a wealth of facts. You’re trying to figure out the structure of the company, its business objectives, its main players, how the management thinks, and how the company works. Start with understanding your own organization and then branch out to other units. You’re trying to build conceptual skills that will help you put your job into the overall company perspective. Does this make sense? Consider a situation where you are giving a presentation …