Twice weekly, I share proven strategies to help data scientists get noticed, promoted, and valued. No theory — just practical steps to transform your technical expertise into business impact and the freedom to call your own shots.
The $100 Increase That Looked Like a Crisis
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I once freaked out a room full of executives with a table showing insurance premium increases. One or two of the increases were massive. Think 78% or 92%. I remember the CFO seeing it and immediately exclaiming: “This is terrible. We’ve got clients getting a 78% increase in premium?! We can’t approve these.” What it actually translated to was a really low base. The clients in question had taken on their policies late in the year, so had a part-year premium for the previous year but a full-year premium for the current year. And in dollar terms, the increases only represented around $100. I wasn’t trying to be deceptive. The standard way we were reporting was with percentages. My mistake was that while reviewing the table, I hadn’t asked: “What impact is this going to have on an executive who sees it?” After that, I started including a column showing the dollar difference and percentage changes were shown on an annualised basis. That cleared it up for everyone going forward. However, it made me realise something. Even the most honest, well-intentioned data presentation can mislead. And the higher the stakes, the more important it is that your stakeholders know how to push back. In the latest Value Boost episode of Value Driven Data Science, Derek Gibson, a decision scientist and author of the upcoming Data, AI, and the Noise, joins me to explore how data professionals can help their stakeholders become better data sceptics and avoid being duped by misleading data. In just 16 minutes, you’ll discover:
Your stakeholders will encounter misleading data with or without you in the room. This episode will help you prepare them for it. Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or click the link below: Episode 112: Lies, Damned Lies and Stakeholders Talk again soon, Dr Genevieve Hayes |
Data Science Impact Algorithm
Twice weekly, I share proven strategies to help data scientists get noticed, promoted, and valued. No theory — just practical steps to transform your technical expertise into business impact and the freedom to call your own shots.
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