Driven, Data-Driven
Inspiration From 007 (the Connery version)
Never thought of James Bond as a symbol of data-driven? Odd — given the man is known by a number 007. Actually, it is more of an unique identifier, but now we are just getting nerdy.
Perhaps you find it ironic? Dr. No — the series first installment, where Sean Connery first spoke his immortal catch phrase -
“Bond, James Bond”
-pits our intrepid hero against an insidious mad genius. Dr No is an evil scientist, so of course he is the data-driven one. Right?
Clearly you haven’t been reading my articles for very long. The 60’s was a time of application and engineering. Dr. No’s target is the symbol of excellence — the space program. As noted — the villain had to be a scientist. But he is also a symbolically bad one.
Real Data-Driven Analysts Don’t Live On Islands…
Island, silo, it is all the same. Isolation and lack of transparency are the mark of incompetence. Who did the ROI analysis of this headquarters, by the way? Both the financial analyst and the designer deserve a date with Goldfinger’s laser, but now we are mixing movies. Although since I already went there-
Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: [looks back, laughing] No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die! There’s nothing you can talk to me about that I don’t already know!
Goldfinger, like Bond, may be a man of action. Unfortunately, in just one infamous line, he shows a major disdain for both simplicity and feedback. He lacks curiosity, has a massive ego, numerous cognitive biases, and lacks any humility. As analysts go #FAIL.
Great Analyst Are Like James Bond
Dr. No spends most of the movie showing disdain for compass points, creating over-priced and over-complex devices, bragging about acronyms, and his misguided budget decisions. Meanwhile, James is busy interrogating, interviewing, and investigating.
Now admittedly, James interrogates with special Bond-like style. He really likes to get … personal… with his data. It is a level above or beyond. It is a real passion for data. A drive to really… connect.
But tongue-in-cheek references aside, James Bond IS an analyst. He is one with a gun and a tux, but again that is just Bond-like style. The early movies especially embraced the investigation side of the story.
James also has an affinity for technology. Technology is most often data-driven. A Walther PPK may not be the best example, but the REAL Q didn’t show up until From Russia With Love. Throughout the movie, Bond certainly engages with plenty of data-driven technology.
Looking To Go Deeper?
In our short article format, we can’t real drill into every aspect of Bond or Data-driven behavior. If you are looking for a good read on the subject, with plenty of hooks to intelligence agencies and action consider:
Thanks for reading!
