3 quotes that inspired my career in data

I turn 50 in February; it feels like a time for reflection and I’ve been thinking about quotes that most inspired my career. Each of the three below has directed my path and perhaps it might direct yours? Do you have key quotes that have informed your career? If so - let me know what they are.

“Data visualization is language. It's a means to convey an opinion or argument.” - Kim Rees

I, like many, spent my early career thinking that visualizing data was about sharing truths. How could you argue with a bar chart’s rectangular rigour? Or a line chart’s sloping certainty? I bought into the purity of approach espoused by Stephen Few, but was primed to see the world anew when Kim Rees (co-founder of data viz organisation Periscopic) appeared on the Policy Viz podcast in 2016. By defining visualization as something as rich and flexible as a language, she blew my old beliefs apart. I use her quote all the time, often alongside my take on the 2012 Iraq Bloody Toll chart. I still see executives’ eyes widen when they realise the truth of this quote.

Markets are conversations (from The Cluetrain Manifesto)

When I joined Tableau in 2011, the amazing Ellie Fields was running Product Marketing and became my manager in 2013. She gave us all a copy of The Cluetrain Manifesto, a book from 1999 about the potential of the ‘information superhighway’. One chapter in particular has stuck with me: Markets are Conversations: success comes from allowing employees to engage with customers, to build personal relationships. Ellie, along with the Tableau co-founders, took that principle and built Tableau around it. I have always taken great pride in being a company where all our colleagues engage closely with customers. I believe it is one of the key foundations that helped strengthen the power of the Tableau community. I believe the chapter is still important reading, and has empowered me to build my personal brand and presence.

Inform, educate, entertain (The BBC)

For 100 years the BBC has been the most influential broadcast institution in the world. It has been a core part of my entire life. It’s original mission was encapsulated by Lord Reith, one of the earliest Directors of the BBC: to inform, educate and entertain. It is only recently that I came to realise how much those principles describe my own motivations. I want to help the world have better data skills. I want to show them why Tableau is the best tool for the job. Buy, oh boy, I do not want to do it in a dry, boring fashion. I want work to be fun, and I want you all to have fun too. It’s why I wear daft costumes for Iron Viz, it’s why I became a magician. I want more people to see and understand data, but I want us all to have fun along the way: I am very fortunate to be in a role that allows me to bring a smile to people’s faces while we all learn together.

These three quotes have carried me through my career in data. Which quotes have inspired you, and why?

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