Confirmation bias is one of the most significant obstacles to good data-driven decision-making. The old adage “Seeing is believing” has been misleading us for years. The reality is the opposite: believing is seeing. What we believe has a much greater impact on how we see data (if we even “see” it at all). Not only do …
Last week, Washington State Senator Maureen Walsh found herself in hot water. During a debate on a medical bill, she made an off-handed comment about nurses. She said that they “probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day.” After a fierce nationwide backlash, Walsh apologized. This isn’t unusual these days. In any given week, I see …
Read more “Speak first, apologize later – the new trend that’s killing civility”
The other day I was speaking with a leader about bringing my Rethinking Data workshop into her organization. Before I could get too far she stopped me. She said, “Brad, we don’t need your workshop. We are a heavily data-driven organization.” Then, to back up her statement, she showed me several “data-rich” presentations and reports. The presentations contained …
Read more “Is your company really data-driven? Or, is it simply obsessed with numbers?”
The Midwest is bracing for some cold weather. Forecasts around the Chicago area predict some of the coldest temperatures in Chicago’s history (at least in the history of recorded temperatures). As Chicagoans gear up for the cold, the “old timers” are rolling their eyes. They tell us that while our forecasted -55 wind chill is cold, …
Read more “Metrics may represent reality, but they aren’t reality”
Let’s face it, the business world has become quite uncertain. Helping people manage through that uncertainty can be difficult. Many leaders feel similarly challenged as they are often as unsure about what is happening as are their teams. We know that uncertainty breeds anxiety. An anxious workforce is not a productive, happy, or engaged workforce. …
Read more “Three things you can talk about when you don’t have all of the answers”
This is a repost from last year. Still a good reminder. ——————————————————————- Are you doing the right things? I’ve noticed a fundamental difference between high level leaders and the rest of us when determining what actions to take. They start with one question: will this solve the problem ? If the answer is “yes”, they …
Do you talk with people anymore? It seems that although the internet and social media have supposedly shrunk the world, they’ve also shrunk our interactions. Everything has become transactional. When was the last time you called someone to schedule a meeting? It’s much faster to coordinate through an instant message or email, right? But here’s the …
Back by popular demand… The 2018 PNC Christmas Price index puts the price of purchasing all of the gifts for each day of the twelve days of Christmas at $170,609.46 (up 0.5% from last year). Holiday time can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be for good leaders. The following list contains gifts that will last a lifetime. Best …
Recently I started going to a new person to cut my hair. Her name is Karen Messina. As we got started, Karen asked me what number clipper blade I used on my sides. I told I used a #1, the shortest blade. Karen provided a quick bit of hair stylist wisdom. “How about if I …
Read more “What my hair stylist taught me about presenting data: The Karen Messina rule”
There is an old piece of conventional wisdom regarding leadership. Encourage your employees to act like owners. The idea seems good on the surface. An owner would ideally have more connection and engagement with his or her business. This would hopefully lead to decisions that are more centered around the business’s success. However, even the strongest connection …