Choose Your Own Adventure

Awash in data, how to use it is up to you.

About fifteen years ago, I was working on a proposal for an important federal client. We had a few other companies on our team as potential subcontractors and representatives from the various team members were gathered to review the proposal slides. During a break in the review, I was chatting with the CEO of one of our team members about the section where we discussed staff development and retention. (In the federal services world, stability of contractor staff is key and companies that don’t have robust retention programs are often scored lower.)

Discussing educational reimbursement, we found that his experience was similar to ours - that maybe 3% to 5% took advantage of it at all. Rather than seeing that as a shortfall of the program, he saw it as a hallmark of its success. I can’t recall his exact words, so I’ll paraphrase.

He said the program really had no downside. If 100% of the staff took advantage of it, then everyone got better and the company as a whole would get better. The current situation was also a win because it gave him data. He said he had learned that the people who took advantage of the program - took a proactive interest in improving themselves and their careers - were his future leaders. He also said he didn’t really care what they studied because leaders need to be more well-rounded. A senior programmer taking English Lit was learning how to analyze text, derive meaning, and become a better writer - all important skills in the RFP-driven world of federal contracting. An IT manager taking art courses was demonstrating creative thinking that may not be evident in their daily work of pushing software patches.

It was all data that he could use in identifying, promoting, and channeling the next generation of leaders as his company grew.

We all hear about “data-driven decisions” and being a “data-driven organization” yet many companies still operate on what amounts to guesswork. I’m fortunate to have had this practical example of being data-driven explained to me. Once you see the data, it’s hard not to see it everywhere. 

As a leader, every system you have is producing information you can use to improve the performance of your company, develop your staff, and even help them feel more fulfilled in the work they do. Seek out that information and use it.