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Rethink Data to Drive Smarter Decisions · The Science of Leading

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  Edwin, can I start with something that's been bugging me?
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  I keep hearing leaders say, "Oh,
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  we're data-driven." But half the time,
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  it feels like... they're just looking at dashboards after they've already
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  made up their minds.
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  Honestly?
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  I used to do that in some of my own projects.
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  We'd spin up a fancy dashboard,
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  pull charts-and then justify whatever decision we'd already leaned toward.
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  Why do so many companies miss the mark?
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  I mean, is being data-driven just... having more numbers?
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  Ah,
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  Claire-that's a familiar trap.
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  A lot of teams confuse "data-driven" with "report-reviewing." You described
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  it perfectly: dashboard first, decision second.
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  But the real power of data comes when you reverse that sequence.
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  You start with the decision.
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  What exactly do I need to figure out here?
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  Then you pull the right data to support that.
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  It's not about collecting everything-it's about cutting through noise,
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  reducing bias, and challenging your own assumptions.
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  That's where the leverage is.
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  So it's not about stacking up dashboards...
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  it's about asking the right question and letting the data push you toward
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  something more honest.
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  I remember pulling these beautiful reports once for a campaign-weeks
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  of work.
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  Everyone was impressed.
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  But we'd never defined what we were actually trying to learn.
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  And surprise-we changed nothing.
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  Seen that play out more times than I
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  can count.
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  One client-won't name names-used to obsess over sales dashboards.
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  Incredible visuals.
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  Zero direction.
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  We got them to frame a real decision instead: "Should we shift budget
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  from paid search to referrals this quarter-yes or no,
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  and what would prove it?" Suddenly,
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  the data had purpose.
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  It wasn't about tools-it was about anchoring decisions.
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  That reframing alone unlocked clarity,
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  speed, and better outcomes.
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  That's a shift.
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  And we're not just talking about historic data,
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  right?
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  There's a big difference between looking at what already happened... and
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  seeing what's changing now.
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  How do you help teams move from just "more data" to actually getting
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  sharper insights?
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  Right.
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  Historic data gives you patterns.
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  Real-time tells you what's shifting.
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  But none of it matters without a focused decision in mind.
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  When you lead with the question-"What do I need to know to act?"-you
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  automatically pull signal from noise.
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  That's how you get less clutter... and more clarity.
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  Makes sense.
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  It's like a "need-to-know" basis for your data.
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  Otherwise, you end up drowning in graphs that don't actually help you
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  move.
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  Exactly.
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  And here's the hidden landmine behind all that ambition: data quality.
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  If your data is incomplete, inconsistent,
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  or just plain wrong-your whole process falls apart.
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  One mismatch in definition?
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  Suddenly, your metrics don't mean what you think.
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  Imagine two recruiters: one calls a candidate "qualified" if they meet
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  minimums... another only after a manager screen.
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  You're comparing noise to noise.
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  Yes!
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  That reminds me-last year, I saw a company roll out this huge recruiting
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  target... based on field data that missed half the pipeline.
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  The dashboard looked stunning.
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  But the inputs?
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  Completely unreliable.
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  It happens all the time.
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  We trust dashboards because they look official.
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  But polish doesn't equal truth.
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  Real discipline means building minimum standards.
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  Not perfection-just enough structure to trust what you're seeing.
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  Walmart's a great example-they manage inventory using real-time sales
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  plus forecasts plus social media trends.
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  But none of that works unless the foundation is solid.
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  Clean data.
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  Defined metrics.
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  Reviewed regularly.
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  Okay, but let's be real-not everyone's Walmart.
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  If you don't have a whole data science team babysitting every input,
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  how do you avoid that false confidence trap?
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  You start with a basic data
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  contract.
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  One page.
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  Define the metric, source, owner,
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  and how often it's reviewed.
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  That alone will save you from hours of confusion-and keep your team from
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  trusting the wrong thing.
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  Love that.
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  But where's the line?
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  Like, how do you keep things clean without turning every decision into
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  a data-cleaning side quest?
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  It's about aligning data quality with risk.
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  For small, everyday choices?
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  Directional is fine.
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  But when you're talking hiring changes,
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  pricing shifts, or budget cuts?
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  That's where you raise the bar.
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  We once ran a monthly review on our recruiting funnel-simple check,
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  but it caught a blind spot where we'd been missing candidates from a
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  whole channel.
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  That one fix saved a major strategic misstep.
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  Monthly reviews.
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  So doable.
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  And that "data contract" idea-I'm definitely stealing that.
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  Huge time-saver.
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  Okay, let's bring this to life.
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  What does action actually look like?
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  Like, sure, marketing's an easy win-you shift spend based on conversions,
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  not clicks.
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  But the real temptation is always: count what's easy.
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  Not what matters.
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  Absolutely.
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  Same in sales and HR.
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  Great sales teams prioritize leads based on close probability-not gut
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  instinct.
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  And in hiring?
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  Structured scorecards, not winging it.
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  The key is to measure outcomes,
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  not just activity.
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  Activity metrics-emails sent, interviews scheduled-they're fast,
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  but they don't always mean progress.
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  Oh,
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  I've lived that.
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  At my last company, we tracked "interviews scheduled" like it was gospel.
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  But no one checked if those interviews turned into great hires-or if
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  they stayed.
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  Once we focused on "quality of hire," a ton of hidden issues surfaced.
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  Fast didn't mean right.
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  Exactly.
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  I once helped a sales org realize their junior reps were closing faster,
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  but senior reps closed bigger.
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  That insight shifted their entire playbook-and the numbers followed.
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  Timing matters, too.
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  If you don't set review windows-30,
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  60, 90 days-you either kill things too early or keep failing just because
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  no one wants to admit it.
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  So, the big idea here is: pick outcome-based
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  KPIs tied to your actual goal... and benchmark before you act.
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  Don't get dazzled by dashboards.
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  And remember-data sharpens judgment.
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  It doesn't replace it.
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  You want fewer bad bets and more real wins?
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  Lead with a decision.
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  Keep your definitions tight.
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  And measure what actually moves the needle.
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  Everything else?
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  Distraction.
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  Ugh, that's gonna stick with me.
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  I've got some KPIs to rethink,
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  for real.
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  And hey-if this sparked any ideas for you listening right now?
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  Try it.
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  Test it.
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  Even one small shift can make a big difference.
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  And if you want help putting
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  this into action-OAD has free tools to guide that process.
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  You can try out behavioral assessments and streamline hiring at o-a-d
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  dot a-i.
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  It's a simple way to make sharper decisions and build stronger teams.
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  Love
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  it.
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  Thanks, Edwin-as always.
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  And thanks to everyone listening.
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  We'll catch you next time with more ways to turn people data into smart
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  action.
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  Take care.
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  Take care, Claire.
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  And thank you all for joining us on The Science of Leading.
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  Until next time.