Data-driven decision making

Is your company really data-driven? Or, is it simply obsessed with numbers?

by Brad KolarData-driven decision making, Leadership April 13, 2019July 31, 2019Comments are Disabled

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 …

Metrics may represent reality, but they aren’t reality

by Brad KolarData-driven decision making, Leadership January 28, 2019July 31, 2019Comments are Disabled

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, …

What my hair stylist taught me about presenting data: The Karen Messina rule

by Brad KolarCommunication, Data-driven decision making, Leadership November 23, 2018July 31, 2019Comments are Disabled

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 …

Don’t get fooled by rigor and precision – they might be masking reality

by Brad KolarCritical Thinking, Data-driven decision making August 19, 2018July 31, 2019Comments are Disabled

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 …

Help! My metrics/data don’t match my observations and experiences! Now what?

by Brad KolarCritical Thinking, Data-driven decision making, Leadership August 3, 2018July 31, 2019Comments are Disabled

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 …

When you know too much to see what’s happening

by Brad KolarCritical Thinking, Data-driven decision making August 11, 2015January 26, 2016Comments are Disabled

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 …

Rethinking Data Challenge: Week 6

by Brad KolarData-driven decision making, Uncategorized July 27, 2015July 27, 2015Comments are Disabled

This week’s challenge: Get to the point! (Click on the link for the full challenge) Don’t make people work to get your recommendation. Provide it and then support it.

Facts are not insights

by Brad KolarData-driven decision making July 25, 2015July 25, 20152 comments

The other day I noticed that my LinkedIn mobile app had a section that provided “Insights” about my account: Nine people have viewed me that week Nine viewers found me from someone similar to me Two viewers were from Bloomington/Normal, IL Seven viewers have the title Human Resources Specialist Six viewers are from the Professional training and …

Rethinking Data Challenge: Week 4

by Brad KolarCritical Thinking, Data-driven decision making, Uncategorized July 12, 2015July 12, 2015Comments are Disabled

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.

Wisdom from symphonies about data-driven decision making

by Brad KolarCritical Thinking, Data-driven decision making June 26, 2015June 26, 2015Comments are Disabled

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 …

Consent to use cookies

Category: Data-driven decision making