The Ten Rules of Rethinking Data, while simple in concept, are often hard to implement. Most of the rules suggest that you work with data in ways that are opposite of how you’ve traditionally been taught. As a result, it is sometimes hard to stay focused on them. Each week we’ll challenge you to focus …
Read more “Introducing the Rethinking Data 10 Week Challenge”
Last month, I ran a Rethinking Data workshop in Warsaw Poland. Based on prior experiences in Eastern Europe, I was concerned that I might have trouble pronouncing people’s names. Getting people’s names right is really important to me. So, as the workshop approached, that concern grew to anxiety. When I arrived at the workshop, a …
I was once talking with an executive about her frustration over her team’s data-driven decision making skills. Despite organizational improvements in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data, her leaders’ decisions didn’t seem to improve. She wasn’t sure what to do next. In her mind, she was already handing her leaders the answers, “I’m not sure what …
Read more “Your data-driven decision making problem might be a business acumen problem in disguise”
The other day someone asked me if I “did” Big Data. Although I wasn’t quite sure what “doing” Big Data meant, I was certain that I did not. I don’t work with Big Data. I don’t have access to Big Data and, even if I did, I wouldn’t have a clue as to what to …
Read more “It’s not the size of your data; it’s how you use it”
Recently someone pushed back on my suggestion to show fewer numbers in the body of his presentation (I recommend putting most of the charts, graphs, and tables in the appendix and pull them out when needed). He questioned why people would believe his conclusions if they didn’t first see the numbers upon which those conclusions are …