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”
There is an old saying that what you measure is what you get. The problem is that what you’ve got isn’t always what you measure. In other words, there might be things falling below the radar simply because you aren’t measuring them. There is a simple example of this in the book Jurassic Park. The island …
Read more “Don’t get fooled by rigor and precision – they might be masking reality”
I recently read a quote from Jeff Bezos where he said that when anecdotal data and quantitative data don’t match, usually the quantitative is wrong. I thought that was interesting. However, it’s an issue that many of us deal with on a regular basis. It’s hard to trust cold impersonal numbers when what you see with your …
Read more “Help! My metrics/data don’t match my observations and experiences! Now what?”
Today, I tried to print an invoice and for the first time in eight years, it didn’t print. I tried a second time but still no luck. As I attempted to print, a few subtle clues emerged. First, the print dialog box closed way too fast (compared to usual). In addition, my program generally adds …
This week’s challenge: Provide context (click on link to go to the challenge). Our brain’s don’t figure out the story from details. They understand the details based upon the story.
Living in Chicago I am fortunate to have access to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). The CSO is one of the premier orchestras in the world. As with any organization, the CSO’s recruiting process plays a key role in helping to build a world class workforce. And, as with any organization, recruiting is a process …
Read more “Wisdom from symphonies about data-driven decision making”
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 …
Let’s try an experiment. I’d like you to think about two things: a book that that you read in the past month and your most recent trip to the grocery store. Got it? OK, now, answer these questions: For which one can you remember the most specific details? Which one was more engaging and interesting? …