There is a visible theme dominating the insights industry today: everyone claims to be in the business of decisions. In Decisions Over Decimals, my colleague Chris Frank laid out a clear mandate for this focus: we need to look past pure metrics (decimals) and focus on the important strategic choices (decisions). He is right. He diagnosed … The “decision-focused” lie we tell ourselves
Problems require solutions. Solutions require decisions. And decisions are often the furthest thing from easy. Why do people struggle with decisions? Many are tempted to blame a lack of information. Therefore, they go back to the data again and again, searching for answers it can’t provide. Decision-making isn’t about waiting for the data to reveal … Decoding the decision moment
A wise headmaster once told his plucky young pupil: “It is our choices…that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.” That was Albus Dumbledore, reassuring a young Harry Potter after his showdown in the Chamber of Secrets. And while business has little in common with vanquishing dark lords (depending on who you … Synthesis: the missing link between data and action
If you are interested in quickly answering basic questions, saving time and resources while reducing risk, read on. This post is for you. In my last post, I wrote about how people often prefer to be precisely wrong than vaguely right. All too often, clean-looking datasets are prized over messy information that may actually speak … The art of being approximately right
With data collection now available at the press of a button, it can feel like we’re drowning in information but starving for insights. That meticulously crafted dashboard on your screen? It represents 20% of your data story. The other 80%— hidden in customer conversations, social media comments, and support tickets—contains the ‘ah-ha’ moments that could … The Insights Frontier: Unstructured Data
Data doesn’t drive anything. You drive. It’s not about data-driven decision making, it’s about decision-driven data analysis. Yes, data matters. Full stop. But it is the supporting character not the main character in your decision process. How can you tell if the data you collect is good enough to inform a decision? You wouldn’t build a plane with faulty … Making your data decision-grade
Wandering down the road, Alice asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” it responds. “I don’t much care where—” she says. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” the cat interjects. “—so long … Don’t fall down the rabbit hole. Work backwards instead.
Introducing a new product or extending an existing one can feel like being at a crossroads. The opportunity might seem like it’s right in front of you, with transformative rewards on the horizon. But getting there requires significant time and investment that you can’t afford to waste. How can you bring the future into focus … How customer research can make or break your next product launch
In my last article, I explored the power of Powerful Questioning, an approach to asking questions that drives data-driven decision making and uncovers deeper truths. But what happens before you even start asking those questions? How do you ensure you’re focused on solving the right problem in the first place? Enter IWIK™: “I wish I … Framing the problem to make better decisions
In my last article, I unpacked Quantitative Intuition™ (QI): the ability to make sound decisions with incomplete information. This isn’t guesswork. It’s a proficiency you can build using context, synthesis, and one overlooked skill: asking questions. Yes, something we learn around 36 months of age but somehow forget when we are 36 years old. We … Better decisions: asking powerful questions