"Enough with the Data – Let's Get Doing!"

We have the data—oh, we have the data! From Apple Watch rings to Oura rings to the good old-fashioned bathroom scale (yes, I went there post-holidays), we're surrounded by more metrics than ever before. We know how much we move, sleep, and even how stressed we are. Yet, despite all this information, meaningful action often gets lost in translation. Sound familiar? It should—because the same thing happens in business.

I've seen it time and again. Companies swimming in data but drowning when it comes to action. The result?

• Decision paralysis. Harvard Business Review reports that "organizations are overburdened with data but starved for insights" (Davenport & Bean, "Stop the Analytics Madness," HBR).
• The Financial Times warns that "we're at risk of becoming spreadsheet junkies," obsessing over numbers instead of making moves (Giles, "Data Overload: How Businesses are Losing Focus," FT).
• The Wall Street Journal puts it bluntly: "More data hasn't necessarily made companies smarter" (Walker, "Why Companies Are Drowning in Data But Starving for Wisdom," WSJ).

So, what's the fix? How do we get from data to doing? Let's cut through the noise with a few ideas:

1. Prioritize actionable insights over vanity metrics. Sure, it's nice to know how many people clicked on your website, but what really matters is what they did next. (Hint: If the answer is "Nothing," you've got some work to do!)
2. Get comfortable with imperfect data. Forbes compares waiting for perfect data to "waiting for a never-ending software update" (Smith, "The Myth of Perfect Data," Forbes, 2023). You'll never move forward if you're always waiting for perfection—make the call and iterate as you go!
3. Build a culture of action. The World Economic Forum stresses that "data should empower, not overwhelm." Give your team the autonomy to act and watch the magic happen.
4. Ask better questions. Harvard Business Review suggests that the key isn't in collecting more data but in asking the right questions.
5. Remember: Behavior change takes time. Think of this as carving a new trail through the woods. You have to walk it repeatedly before it becomes the default path. (Translation: Don't expect instant miracles.)

Let's make 2025 the year we move from data-driven to action-oriented. After all, what's the point of tracking all those rings if we're not going to close them? ??