Rock the Data!

Lego! How a Toy Can Explain Different Data Assets

Some years ago, my wife and I had a full fledged argument about how to properly organize my son’s Lego collection. She felt I couldn’t organize my way out of a paper bag, and I felt she couldn’t organize the paper bags (slight exaggeration on both counts). FYI – folding them neatly and placing them…

Efficiency in Data Movement Matters

My grandfather was a plumber, and my dad started his career as an electrician. Both men taught me valuable lessons that I use in my career today. Many of those lessons have more to do with ethics than technology, but both professions have significant commonality with data movement. At its core, plumbing is about moving…

Habit #5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Stephen Covey defines this habit as listening to a person with genuine empathy. which in turn invites them to listen with empathy to you. If this sounds vaguely familiar, it should. Whether it’s a parent who told you that “God gave you two ears and one mouth, so you can listen twice as much as…

Habit #4 – Think Win-Win

This is my favorite of the habits, as it is at the core of any great team. In Rabbi Daniel Lapin’s Book, Business Secrets from the Bible, Lapin repeatedly states that the purpose of business is to serve the needs of others. After all, if you aren’t serving the needs of anyone, then you have…

Habit #3 – Put First Things First

Habit #3 – Put First Things First In our last installment I commented that habit #2 may be the most easily understood habit for me, and I stick to that statement. With that said, habit #3 is probably where I fail the most. To give a frank self-assessment, this is where I become my own worst…

Fun 401(k) Math – Defensively Investing Your Retirement

So this post will be a bit of a departure from my normal data ramblings and musings, but hopefully it’ll show that analytical minds will analyze just about anything. I know mine does! As any of my current or previous coworkers will tell you, I am a huge advocate of investing in your 401(k) for…

Habit #2 – Begin With the End in Mind

Habit #2 – Begin With the End in Mind This may be the most easily understood habit for me, and if you’ve read this blog previously, you’ll find it a recurring theme here. Whether it’s having the foresight to plan ahead and architect the data warehouse (instead of just fulfilling the basic requirements), building it…

Habit #1 – Be Proactive

The 7 Habits of Successful Data Workers – Habit #1 – Be Proactive

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Data Workers

My kids attend an elementary school who follows the Leader in Me program run by Franklin-Covey. Part of the program is to emphasize the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People when praising individual performance and citizenship actions among the students in the school. With school kicking back off recently, I was inspired to start a…

Business Before Metrics

Don’t let the pursuit of metrics hurt your basic business model. It is imperative to remember that metrics in and of themselves should supplement and enhance business decisions, but not necessarily be the end all and be all of your business. On this Memorial Day, I can think of no better example than that of…

Greater Purpose

I’ve talked repeatedly about planning ahead and the importance of having a perfect data transfer for your data to tell the complete truth. Here is a real life example of this philosophy in action. Several months ago, I stumbled across this video about a new tradition at the University of Iowa’s home football games. Take a moment to…

Lessons From Childhood – The Three Little Pigs

For those not familiar with the children’s story, you can click here for an entertaining rendition, or read further. The story begins with three little pigs, each of whom chooses to build a home – one of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks. The first little pig build his home out of straw. He…