Lesson 3: Data Is Not Just Numbers
Data Is Not Just Numbers
Data is just information you collected on purpose. Your group chat history is data. The time you spend on each app is data. How many people showed up to your event is data. Data is everywhere. The question is whether you are using it or ignoring it.
Why Data Matters for Leaders
Opinions are everywhere. Data is rarer. When you walk into a room with data, you change the conversation. Instead of I think this is working, you can say here is what we measured and here is what it shows. That is the difference between influence and guesswork.
Correlation vs. Causation
Correlation means two things move together. Causation means one thing CAUSES the other. They are not the same. Ice cream sales and drowning rates both go up in summer. They are correlated. Ice cream does not cause drowning. Summer causes both. Confusing correlation with causation leads to very bad decisions.
Vanity Metrics vs. Real Metrics
Vanity metrics make you feel good but do not tell you if you are succeeding. Followers, views, likes can all go up while your actual impact goes down.
Real metrics tell you if you are actually achieving your goal. Did the problem actually get solved?
Try This Today
- Pick something you want to improve and identify one measurable metric that would show improvement
- Find a correlation in your life and ask whether it is actually causation
- Look at your screen time data and ask what it actually tells you about your habits