Includes glossary.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Front Matter -- Part I: Introduction -- 1. Advising “the Room Where It Happens”: The Business Case for Business Acumen -- Part II: Communications, Business Acumen, and the C-suite -- 2. The Communicator as Integrator -- 3. Why Business Acumen Matters More Than Ever -- 4. From Farm to Pharm: Business and Life Lessons Learned in the Barnyard -- Part III: Finance and Investor Relations -- 5. Taking the Numb Out of Numbers: Working with the Office of the CFO -- 6. The Partnership between Corporate Communications and Investor Relations -- Part IV: Human Resources and Employee Engagement -- 7. Mastering Business Means First Understanding Your People -- 8. Employees as Drivers of Corporate Brand and Reputation -- 9. Have a Seat at the Table — Not on the Fringes -- Part V: Corporate Strategy, Innovation, and Legal -- 10. Collaborating with Strategy and Innovation: Taking on the Challenge to “Communicate the Amoeba” -- 11. Telling the Story of Value Creation -- 12. Lessons from My Father: Bringing the “Greener Rules” to Corporate Strategy and Planning -- 13. Understanding the Corporate Legal Department -- Part VI: Marketing, Brand, and Data Analytics -- 14. Driving to the Right Place: Aligning Communications with Business Goals and Objectives -- 15. Peas in a Pod: Communications and the Chief Marketing Officer -- 16. Learn the Language of Business and Keep What You Earn -- Part VII: Social Responsibility and Transparency -- 17. Trust, Truth, and Transparency: Why Hard Facts and Corporate Honesty Matter -- 18. How Communicators Can Help Corporations Make a Difference -- 19. Communications for Social Good -- Part VIII: Communication and Corporate Transformations -- 20. Building Communications’ Influence during Corporate Transformation -- 21. Accentuate the Positive: The Communicator’s Catalytic Effect -- 22. Communications Leadership that Strong Leaders Expect -- Part IX: Summing Up -- 23. Observations and Conclusions from “Masters of Business” -- About the Authors -- Resources on Business Acumen -- Glossary -- Index.

The most successful communication professionals are no longer just communication experts—they are masters of business. To serve as trusted advisors to the C-suite and to collaborate across the enterprise means it is necessary to have a strong grounding in business acumen. Mastering Business provides strategic communications and public relations students and professionals with expert insights and advice into the various major business functions and departments. From an assemblage of top strategic communication leaders comes this collection of more than 20 essays from current and former Chief Communications Officers (CCOs). The authors show the business areas that communicators help convene, integrate, and translate across their enterprises and to external stakeholders. Each chapter features a Career Spotlight by the CCO and a C-suite View response from a business leader, including CEOs, presidents, and CFOs from household names like GE, GM, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and SAP. This collection provides readers with a rare view of the leadership roles played by top strategic communicators inside some of today’s most well-known brands and organizations.