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…
Category: Philosophy
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…
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…
Who Does the Best Imitation of You?
I was fortunate enough to grow up in an era when the likes of Rich Little and Dana Carvey could be seen on a regular basis doing impressions of famous people on late night TV. It was always amazing to me how spot on these gentlemen could imitate the facial expressions, mannerisms, and speech patterns…
“Our Work Isn’t an Exact Science”
“Our work isn’t an exact science.” I heard this stated by someone in the data science field last week, and I can think of few things in our work that make me angrier than this – so prepare to hear a rant, as I often find myself on the wrong side of Brandolini’s Law. Simply…
Be the Frank Lloyd Wright of Your Data Warehouse
I studied architecture in middle school (yes, I am that big of a nerd) and fell in love with the patterns of Frank Lloyd Wright designs. Widely regarded as one of the best architects in U.S. history, Wright’s designs are legendary for their attention to the smallest of details. He drew the plans, selected the…
The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth…
How you finish that statement tells a great deal about a person. If you finish with “so help me God”, then you’re likely either a Christian, or spend way too much time watching courtroom dramas. I’m kidding – we all know there’s no such thing as too much Matlock or Perry Mason. Alternatively, if you’re…
Regression to the Mean Machine
Old habits die hard. That, in a nutshell, is the concept behind regression to the mean. To understand this concept, let’s first define what mean, means (and forgive me for sounding like Bill Clinton during the Lewinski affair). Mean is the highfalutin way statisticians say “average”. With regression to the mean, the philosophy is that…
Roll Up Your Sleeves, Not Your Counts
Rolling up your shirtsleeves has long been associated with the idea of working hard. I have zero issues with working hard – but you should work smart as well. I was reminded of this recently in a discussion with a colleague regarding a table that stores distinct record counts by day. The idea behind the…
…But Those Who Understand History Can Make It Repeat In Their Favor.
Bear with me reader, for this article will be a meandering journey through history – but the ending is relevant to your daily client needs – even if your customer doesn’t know it yet. I often get into debates with people over how much history data is relevant, which I go into detail on in…
Rock the Data! 