The ROI Challenge™: Turning Business Acumen into Real-World Action

Need a refresher on how ROI works—or why it’s trickier than it sounds? Start here.

Turn Business Acumen Workshops into Measurable Results

What happens after the learning ends?

That’s the real question for any business acumen program. It’s not just what people remember—it’s what they do with it.

Participants leave our workshops more confident with financials, stronger in decision-making, and better equipped to think like business owners. But then comes the real test: Will they use that thinking in their day-to-day roles?

The ROI Challenge™ is how we answer that question. It’s a structured way to extend learning into action—and to tie that action back to business results.

Why the ROI Challenge™ Matters

Business acumen isn’t just a mindset. It’s a habit. The ROI Challenge helps turn insight into initiative by giving participants a way to:

• Identify a small change or improvement they want to make
• Map the likely cost and benefit
• Get feedback on the logic
• Take action (if the numbers hold up)
• Track the impact

It’s not a high-stakes project. It’s a realistic opportunity to apply learning quickly, in a way that’s grounded in business value.

How It Works

At the heart of the exercise is the ROI Challenge™ Playbook and the Business Case Worksheet. This is not a simple calculator—it’s a structured coaching tool that helps participants:

• Explore key business levers where they might have influence
• Think through both visible and hidden forms of ROI
• Build a practical, grounded proposal

Download the Business Case Worksheet

The worksheet breaks the process into manageable steps. It helps participants develop the business logic, test their assumptions, and move toward action.

Some initiatives are small and internal. Others become formal pilots. Either way, the process builds confidence—and strengthens business thinking.

We identify key business levers (e.g. Manage Costs and Expenses) and key actions for each (e.g. Reduce Direct Costs) and then look at how the action can play out in both best-case and worst-case terms.

For quick estimates, we do offer a 3-Year ROI Calculator. But for real decision-making, the Playbook goes deeper—coaching teams through how and where their actions might drive impact.

‍Why It Works

The ROI Challenge does more than reinforce the business acumen workshop content. It:

• Encourages ownership and initiative
• Builds confidence in making a business case
• Creates clear before-and-after comparisons
• Promotes internal visibility of participant thinking

And it sends a clear message: this learning was not theoretical. It’s meant to be used.

What L&D Leaders Need to Know

The ROI Challenge is part of our Continue the Learning series. It’s not about extending seat time—it’s about extending relevance.

Depending on your goals, you can:

• Invite participants to share their results or proposals
• Feature standout Challenges in follow-up communications
• Use participant submissions as proof of learning transfer

It’s also a great way to gain visibility into how your learners are applying what they’ve learned—on their terms, in their roles.

Many organizations struggle to reach Kirkpatrick’s Level 4—measuring actual results and business impact. The ROI Challenge invites learners to go there directly, by applying what they’ve learned to meaningful, role-relevant actions.

Ready to Challenge the Status Quo?

If you’ve already completed an Income|Outcome business acumen simulation, check your Continue the Learning email for access to the ROI Challenge Playbook and Business Case Worksheet.

If you’re an L&D leader, let’s talk. The ROI Challenge is a powerful way to extend the impact of your learning program—and to demonstrate real-world application. We’ll show you how it works, how your learners engage, and how it helps answer the question: What happens after the learning?