Whenever the topic of data comes up at meetings or informal conversations it doesn’t take long for people’s eyes to glaze over. The subject is usually considered so complex and esoteric that only a few technically-minded geeks find value in the details. This easy dismissal of data is a real problem in the modern business world because so much of what we know about customers and products is codified as information and stored in corporate databases. Without a high level of data literacy this information sits idle and unused.
Data is simply something you want to remember (a concept I borrowed from an article by Rob Karel). Examples might include:
- Your home address
- Your mom’s birthday
- Your computer password
- A friend’s phone number
- Your daughter’s favorite color
