Removing friction between insight and action

I live in a gray space between creative & media, between analyst & strategist, between product development & project management. I like it in this gray space. I can pick and choose what skills to bring to the table for a given project or challenge. There is one gray space that I simply refuse to live— the gray space between insight and action. To me there is no time to waste second-guessing.

My time is spent helping marketing decision-makers do what they are meant to do — make decisions. I have been called “the data guy,” a moniker I don’t necessarily ascribe to and most recently I have taken up the mantel of “integrator”. For the sake of this article and articles moving forward, I will simply say that I grease the wheels between insight and action. I provide decision makers with the confidence to make tough decisions; decisions that sometimes change the course of a brand, an advertising strategy, or the company itself.

I believe that data has the potential to reveal truth —a truth compelling enough to change a behavior or an opinion or even better cause an action. I have found no better way to ensure action than through stories. For business decision makers, the more effective stories are rooted in data and information. Purely numbers-driven arguments are great when you want to win an argument, but if you want inspire leaders to make bold decisions numbers need to be told through a narrative.

Stories are a lubricant that remove the friction between insight and action.

With 15 years of experience using data to impact change, here are my four essential components of well told data-driven stories:

Tell them something they don’t know

This is easier said than done. Every business leader I work with knows their company, its history, its culture, and its people far better than I ever could pretend. I may agree or disagree with their decisions or strategy, but I have to respect the institutional knowledge they about their company and brand. This “thing they don’t know” is often referred to as an insight. Whether derived from a database, a news article, or original thought — the insight should do to things: instill confidence and spark curiosity.

Quantify the impact of indecision

The implication of not acting on the insight must be equal to or greater than the size of the decision. You have to paint a picture of the opportunity cost of not acting now. This could be loss of revenue, hit to reputation, degrading employee satisfaction.

Prototype a solution

Your solution does not have to be right — it just needs to be a solution. In fact, it likely will not be right. There is a complex network of factors that need to be considered. The job here is to reduce the friction by showing that there is a solution and a path forward. By showing that there is at least one potential solution, you are both showing how moving to an action will both benefit and mitigate the risk of indecision.

Time-box the the time in the gray space

There are many decisions that have a hard deadlines. Deadlines force us to make decisions. Large institutional or strategic decisions often have no deadline at all. These decisions when to pivot, when to build vs buy, or when to change a revenue model. Unless a company or brand is facing an existential threat, ideas of change remain just that — ideas. The deadline you are providing here is not a deadline to say yes, but it is a deadline for when you will no longer discuss this particular topic or solution or strategy. This takes commitment, but you have to learn when to move on. Living in the gray space too long fosters future indecision. The absence of a decision is a decision itself — make the implicit behavior of not discussing explicit by creating a deadline for action.

Apply these keys to data driven stories. Each is designed to build eliminate the friction that leads to indecision. They build on one another and create momentum to act.

In a follow-up article, I will put this guide into action. The topic: Encourage advertising agencies to disrupt their current business model.

If you have suggestions (or just want to outsource your next project), post some of the gray spaces that you are helping to navigate in a response and I may us it to demonstrate the power of this approach.