"Yeah, we do data"

Ask any CEO or executive director out there - “Do you data?”

Of course, they do. The mantra “data is the new oil” has been in the water long enough that no CEO will miss that talking point.

They know that “everybody else is doing it”. And so they insist that they are doing it too.

What if I asked you if you have a vehicle?

You might live in an urban center and embrace the car-free life, but 90%+ of American households own a car.

Everybody is doing it. Parking their car out front of their residence and using it to drive around.

But there is a dramatic difference in the type of vehicle you might own. It could be a work truck, a commuter car, a minivan for driving around kids, a sports convertible you only pull out on sunny weekends, a vehicle for your teenager to drive, or something you use to drive Uber to make extra cash.

The details of “Do you have a vehicle” vary substantially based on the purpose of the vehicle. Not just in terms of how much it’s used, but when it’s used, the type of vehicle required, how you care for it, how it’s taxed, and how much money is spent on maintenance. They are all vehicles, but people fundamentally think about these vehicles dramatically differently.

Here’s the thing.

The same is true for your data and how your organization views the purpose of data. When your CEO says “we do data” how do they think about data? How your organization thinks about the purpose of data will change how they care for it, what types of tools are required, what budget it gets, etc.

"Doing data stuff" isn't going to move the needle in your organization.

You need to understand how data fits into the shape and vision of your org.

Otherwise, you will be left hoping for a data team that leadership won't have the budget, time, energy, or attention for.

I'm here,

Sawyer

from ​The Data Shop​