Development of Data-Driven Strategies

 
Zen of Data Strategy

This is the story of a CEO in his own words I've realized that I have a talent for, and a genuine interest in, strategic analysis and all that it entails. My Enneagram score for Type 3 and Type 1 was the same, so I'm an Achiever and a Reformer (the Enneagram result printout listed Type 3 first, so there might be a slight edge to Type 3, the Achiever; you can look up Enneagram Types for more information). My Myers-Briggs personality type is ENTP. I've taken other personality tests, and they all describe the same aspects of my personality. So it's no surprise that I enjoy uncovering the possibilities hidden in data.

I don't see a sea of numbers when I look at data. Instead, I see a story of macrotrends, microtrends, and processes that deliver the story numerically. It's a gift I took for granted until I presented the results of my data analysis and recommendations to a client who told me it was the best they'd ever received. They then told others, and I eventually heard from three others, how pleased the client was with my analysis, recommendations, and presentation of the deliverable.

Small anomalies foreshadow larger opportunities; in process improvement, which results in higher quality, more sales, higher profit margins, and so on; in new product development to meet unmet market demand, complement existing product offerings, cement client relationships and attract new customers. I'm gifted at conceptualizing and presenting data-backed recommendations. My constant challenge was moving from strategic to tactical implementation.

For nearly a decade, I was the CEO of US Metals. While I was there, I learned a fantastic technique that assisted me in shifting my strategy from strategic to tactical. I used a combination of graphics and written documentation to map the business processes of US Metals (I also used this as the basis of implementing the Lean Management methodology). After that, I mapped out my tactical plans, which were based on strategies. After that, I then determined where the two maps intersected and combined the master map with the newly created map (remember, this is a supplement to, not a replacement for, critical analysis of priorities, goals, and objectives The combination of the two maps identified the best fit for the strategy as well as the right people to hold accountable. Combining the maps also revealed how my financial model needed to be tweaked in order to provide a realistic representation of the organization and output data with a high degree of certainty.

Analyze it, plan it, and put it into action.