Lessons Learned - Business Knowledge
(Business is the language)
Once upon a time, I was pursuing an opportunity in the banking sector, one of my colleagues told me to drop it. When I asked him about the reason why I should drop it, he answered that we do not have enough expertise in that field of business and I still remember the wording that he used… he said then "Look Ahmad, those people talk a different language, imagine that you are setting with two bankers and when they start talking all you can hear is noise, Bla Bla Bla Bla … so how can you help them if you are not able to communicate with them and understand their language?".
It took me many years to relate and understand what my friend said at that time, of course you might be able to convince someone that you can help and get the deal, but eventually you might be hurting yourself and your client if you do that without enough background about the business that the client is doing, throughout the last few years I could see real examples of projects fail because of that.
Business knowledge is the language in which its own people communicate and work together.
Ahmad Al-Musallami
2011-04-25
