Don’t Look Now…
Data Is Creating Its Own Fad Diets
See Through The Hype — Get To The Principles
We live in a “Big” world. By most benchmarks, full of “big” people. Recent reports claim obesity has now replaced hunger on the world stage.
We live in a “Big” world. By most benchmarks, the digital divide closed a decade ago. The world is now awash in “Big” data.
So I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that many companies and their sales departments want to put the world on a diet! A data diet…
Books, commercials, magazine articles, Facebook ads, and the like all tout the amazing results you will experience if only you subscribe to some off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all, and yet-its-a-miracle system. The big names endorse them… or at least don’t care to force them to remove their logos.
While fad diets talk of mystery herbs, lost ancient secrets, and magical fat burning properties — the data world is full of artificial intelligence, seamless cloud integration, and point-and-click user interfaces. Both have a modicum of truth. Both woefully over simplify and over-promise. Both doom their adherents to failure and potential harm.
A Personal Story
In early March of 2017, I went grudgingly to the doctor. Nothing was wrong, just a long overdue physical with typical blood test, etc. The doctor looked at me and announced — you have the trifecta! I had diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. BUT in her words — I was probably just fat.
By my next visit in late May, I had dropped nearly 60 lbs. I had to wait another 90 days for blood tests and the like, but I soon had a clean bill of health.
People who have known me for years, many I never actually talked to, now stop me to ask — how I did it? Oddly, they expect a trick. They want a miracle. When I start talking about blood sugar measurements, trial & error, but more or less just removing sugar and lowering carbs and calories — their body language betrays their disappointment. My story is not one-size-fits-all and it requires painful discipline!
Full disclosure — I like… no, I have little choice other than to eat “Paleo” snacks… when I want to snack. I add sauerkraut to my diet whenever I can. It is more effective than Metaformin (for me — I tested it). My initial diet was restrictive, my “maintenance diet” is not so bad... In other words, elements of the fad diet world did come into play. But they were minor, not miracle.
The Health Of Your Company Is Little Different
Diets and data have a very strong reason to seem analogous. They are both about maintaining health. When I stepped on the scale at my doctor’s office, it was the first time in more than a year. I had stopped measuring. I had stopped collecting my own data. As a result, I was unaware my health had declined.
If your company is not collecting data, if it is not measuring results — there is a really good chance its health is also in decline.
But fad diets and fad technologies are not the answer. Not the last one, not the next one. Maybe Net Suite will be part of your company’s solution, but only in a minor way. Perhaps you will also use AI, NoSQL, or cloud-based integration — but only as contributing tools!
Your company’s health, its data — require discipline, principles, and some trial & error. There are no off-the-shelf miracles. There are no one-size-fits all solutions. And the longer it takes you to recognize that — the worse the health of your company is likely to get.
I am an analyst. When I am faced with a challenge, I learn how to solve it. I am an information engineer. If I can learn it, I can engineer it into a system. This served me for regaining control of my personal health. I am also an executive. If it hadn’t, I would hired the right help!
Don’t mess around with fad diets or fad data tools. Invest in principles, discipline, and tailored solutions. Your health and your business’ health are worth it. Even if you need to hire a little help to get there.
