The scary things that data use is NOT

I’m not going to lie, I still have occasional nightmares about high school calculus, even though that was … a lot of years ago. 

That class really made me feel like a failure. Clearly, deep in my subconscious, that has stuck with me.

So I understand when people bring their childhood math anxieties into how they feel about using data in the workplace – consciously or not. 

No one wants to feel like they’re not good at something. 

I also understand why people (metaphorically speaking) put their haunches up when we start talking about data because they are afraid of how it will reflect on their current job performance. 

Too often, metrics are used in place of – instead of as part of – the REAL story of our work. 

It’s engrained in us that if we don’t meet an arbitrary number or percentage, then clearly we’ve failed. 

We all know this isn’t true, but it still sparks an emotional reaction in us. 

I’ve written about these types of data fears that I’ve observed in my work before.

My mission has always been to help people work through their data fears and see what a powerful tool it can be to better understand, highlight, and grow their work. 

I think it starts with honoring this fear, anxiety, or discomfort. 

It’s okay to feel that way or hold onto those past experiences, AND I can show you how to look at data differently. 

For my daughter, we’re starting young. Check out this book I just got her.