The data we deal with has such immense complexity built into it (across metrics, methodologies, sources), the business itself is so complex (no more just run ads on TV, wait for people to walk into our stores), any analyst has to strive to simplify complexity every day. Hence, one thing our community has in common is a love for data visualization. The above-mentioned complexity is also the reason good data visualizers are paid so much more, and great ones can write their own compensation amount! It is important to be transparent that I come from the school of thought that…
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“Let’s all focus on a single metric, a True North for the entire company!” This is an understandable sentiment from Extremely Senior Leaders (ESLs). There are so many data pukes (sorry, “dashboards”) running around the organization, employees face such difficulty in being able to be smarter. Or, worse, Teams/Agencies can cherry-pick and show “impact.” Hence, the ESL idea is noble: If we all look at one metric, no one can game the system. Sadly, there are unintended consequences. [Bonus Reflection: An underappreciated problem: Methodology. Your teams in the US, Argentina, Indonesia might all be reporting the same metric, say, Lift…