{"id":205624,"date":"2021-03-18T18:48:13","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T15:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-you-cant-base-business-decisions-on-numbers-alone\/"},"modified":"2021-03-18T18:48:13","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T15:48:13","slug":"why-you-cant-base-business-decisions-on-numbers-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-you-cant-base-business-decisions-on-numbers-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why you can\u2019t base business decisions on numbers alone"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Why you can\u2019t base business decisions on numbers alone<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Boris is the wise ol\u2019 CEO of TNW who writes a weekly column on everything about being an entrepreneur in tech \u2014 from managing stress to embracing awkwardness. You can get his musings straight to your inbox by signing up for his newsletter!<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I absolutely hate it when people disagree with me. Yes, it\u2019s good to get more perspective and ultimately any idea is improved with critical feedback and I do everything in my power not to bully concepts through. But in that exact moment, when I\u2019m stating my case, I can\u2019t believe the other person can\u2019t see my side of the argument \u2014 especially when I think the \u2018numbers\u2019 are on my side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a great cartoon that very efficiently captures this awkward moment in meetings, when different perspectives clash. The cartoon shows two people fiercely arguing over whether the number on the floor between them is a 6 or a 9\u2026 and they\u2019re both right.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"
Credit: LensShift<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think many business decisions are hampered because people are looking for the facts and the proof \u2014 <\/span>the absolute truth<\/span><\/i> \u2014 so they can make the right decision. Unfortunately, life is more complicated than that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You could base all your decisions only on the facts, stats, or A\/B tests, but we all know the answers you can get from them are only as good as the questions. They can also be affected by the person asking the question or the purpose behind asking the question.<\/span><\/p>\n

[Read: Never only hire the smartest people]<\/em><\/p>\n

Statistics and metrics are often represented as being unambiguous. \u201cNumbers don\u2019t lie!\u201d they yell to your face, holding the printouts of the latest A\/B tests between \u2018beige\u2019 and \u2018beiger\u2019 for your logo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s one view\u2026 but here\u2019s mine: numbers lie like a motherfucker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Or rather, they can be <\/span>made<\/span><\/i> to lie. Numbers are like jelly, taking any form their holder wants to. You can cherry-pick the metric you think shows you the absolute truth, but deep down you probably know that the bigger challenge doesn\u2019t boil down to this one single number.<\/span><\/p>\n

Actually, I wouldn\u2019t mind owning a shirt that says \u201cLies, damn lies, and statistics\u201d with an asterisk behind statistics for \u201cfacts, numbers, and A\/B test results\u201d (quick note to self: start selling those).<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is life is fluid and unpredictable, and even the simplest decision can have a thousand variables that all impact the outcome and complicate the plot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/a>How much would you pay for this? Asking for a friend\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You could decide to only rely on facts or trust the numbers, or you could dig deeper and look into why you put your belief in this particular metric in the first place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is there something outside this number that made you reach your conclusion? If there is, it might make your argument even stronger, as nothing in life can be explained by a single number. Or it could unveil you were actually app<\/a>roaching the problem the wrong way.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, your 6 could very well be my 9 \u2014 it all depends where you\u2019re coming from.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can\u2019t get enough of Boris? Check out his older stories here, and sign up for his news<\/a>letter here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Published March 18, 2021 \u2014 15:48 UTC\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n