do me a favor think about an adult from
your childhood someone who was close
with you someone you trusted this might
be a grandparent a parent a guardian and
aunt uncle a cousin and older sibling a
family friend do you have someone
pictured in your mind great
now imagine yourself at six or seven
years old you’re walking through
downtown Chicago holding hands with your
trusted adult that person you pictured
in your mind it’s a sunny sticky sweaty
and smoggy summer day for several days
into a heat wave and you’re exhausted as
the Sun beats down on you between the
skyscrapers several times you felt a
bead of sweat trickled down your spine
your throat is dry and Scratchy
and you just want to rest you turn the
corner and you notice a food truck up
ahead as you get closer you realize this
is interests in a food truck it’s a snow
cone truck you’re don’t must have
noticed it too because you hear hey do
you want to go snow cone so I want to
get a snow cone yes you shout nothing
sounds better than a snow cone right now
you can already taste the sweet cold ice
on your tongue you start walking a
little faster there might even be a
little skip in your step is to get
closer and closer to the snow cone truck
and that cold wonderful reprieve but as
you approach the truck the hand you’re
holding just keeps going right past the
snow cone truck aren’t we getting snow
cones you’ve asked and you hear the
response no we’re not getting snow cones
how do you feel do you feel like
this do you feel like this or this or
possibly this why would someone do this
to you why would anyone especially
someone you trust ask you if you want a
snowcone only to walk right by now is it
possible there was a logical reason for
not getting a sno-cone
maybe you relate for your train or your
bus maybe there was a sign that said
closed or cash only maybe your trusted
adult had a different snow cone stand in
mind one that was several blocks away
but you don’t know that in this instant
all you really know is that you want a
snow cone and you don’t have one has
this ever happened to you have you ever
been asked a question and responded only
to be ignored or to feel betrayed I’m
here to speak with you this morning
about how we use information as we
continue I ask you to keep that snow
cone story in mind and how you felt at
the end of that story my guess is that
at some point in your life you have had
someone asked you a question
provided a response only to feel ignored
I thought it didn’t feel very good I’m
asking you to do better I’m saying that
you can use information in a better way
and along the way I’m going to talk a
little bit about why sometimes it’s best
if we just take a step back and stop
measuring stuff let’s start by talking
about a problem that we have human
beings have become information packrats
we continue to amass more and more data
every day a lot of this data comes from
social media tweets posts on our
Instagram and Facebook feeds constant
celebrity updates on snapchat
not to mention emails and texts phone
calls advertisements videos in fact in
2016
sanchez CEO art Landro reported that in
the previous two years we had amassed
more data than in the entire prior
history of the human race last year
analytics week reported
that we had collected a total of 2.5
trillion gigabytes of data and they gave
us this estimate for the future by 2020
1.7 megabytes of new information will be
created every second for every human
being on the planet to put that in
perspective imagine you were to type
just one second of that information onto
standard office paper just like this and
then stack that paper on top of itself
those stacks would be long enough to
reach around the world 97 times that’s
97 times per second
now what if I told you that less than
0.5 of that data percent of that data is
ever used or analyzed in other words we
continue to collect more and more
information but we’re only using a tiny
amount of it most of this information is
collected and analyzed without us giving
it a second thought if the recent
controversy surrounding Facebook and
Cambridge analytical has had any
positive impact it’s to show more and
more people how extensive the collection
of our online data really is but there’s
another type of data collection that
affects us on a more personal level that
we take more time out of our everyday
and that is the survey just this week I
reviewed the number of surveys that I
have collected so in the last week
looking at the surveys at the bottom of
my restaurant receipts or shopping
receipts or those in my email not
including anything that I may have
scrolled past on social media or on
websites I counted 21 surveys in the
last week alone most of those surveys
provided some sort of incentive for
taking the survey and guess how many I
completing one I work with surveys as
part of my job and I completed one
single question survey out of 21
available to me in the last week why
don’t I complete surveys in large part
it’s because I don’t believe that the
data is going to be used properly it’s
as though if someone asks me if I want a
snow cone
and I say yes snowcone I’m never getting
a snow cone and this is because I see
this happen all the time I’m not the
only one who’s skeptical Forbes media
reports that the majority of consumers
are annoyed by satisfaction surveys and
that two-thirds of people would rather
call email or discuss a concern
face-to-face than respond to a survey
I’m sure you’ve also had the experience
of having someone specifically ask you
to give them a positive review on the
survey all of this creates bias in the
survey results this means that the most
actionable data that companies are
receiving isn’t coming from surveys and
yet me keep getting surveys in the
workplace CEOs are largely ignoring
employee engagement survey results a
workforce engagement firm motive acity
reports that fewer than two percent of
CEOs review employee engagement survey
results more than once millions of
dollars and countless work hours are
spent on these surveys and CEOs are
ignoring the results and yet we keep
getting surveys so where do you fit into
all of this other than being overloaded
with surveys and information and
probably feeling like you need to do
something to lock down your online
presence I’m asking you to do better do
better than those corporations do better
than those employers do better than the
people who are empowered today I’m
asking you to think about yourself and
other people when you collect
information I’m asking you to be
truthful and be kind when you collect
information and believe it or not you
can be truthful and kind by asking
yourself one simple question how are you
going to use the information let’s
imagine that you want to use the
information so that you can support a
decision you already made in other words
you already made up your mind it sounds
silly right why do you need more
information if you already made up your
mind you don’t
see this happen all the time too someone
will have made a decision and then when
they’re collecting additional
information they’re really just
collecting information to support the
decision that they already made the
truthful and kind answer here is to stop
measuring stuff communicate your
decision and move on what if instead you
need additional information before you
can make a decision great keep going and
as you’re continuing to gather
information make sure you’re using
reliable sources and you reach out to
experts for help as needed what if
instead you already have the amount of
information that you need in order to
make a decision you’ve reviewed your
information it’s from unbiased sources
and it clearly points you towards a
specific decision many people will
continue to gather additional
information at this point thinking the
more data the better right this isn’t
what you need to do the truthful and
kind answer here is to stop measuring
stuff all of our time is too precious to
waste gathering information that we’re
not going to use next let’s think about
a scenario where you’re trying to
measure effectiveness maybe of a program
you’re working on or maybe make some
improvements great these are some of the
best reasons to collect information
determine measures for effectiveness
collect information and then make sure
you use that information to make
improvements this last one is tricky you
may have been told that you need to
measure something this usually by your
boss or someone that you work with or at
your company you’re probably annoyed and
probably think this is going to be a
gigantic waste of time but I’m asking
you to be truthful and kind to yourself
here as well if you are being asked as
part of your responsibilities to measure
something make sure you measure
something that’s meaningful to you for
example you might want to measure
effectiveness of something you’re
working on or you might want to make
improvements this is great
then you will know that you’re using the
information
properly and you’re not wasting your
time or anyone elses time next make sure
you communicate the decision that you
make and make sure you communicate the
information that you use to make that
decision think back to that snow cone
we’re not sure why our trusted adults
ignored our input but if they had only
told us why we weren’t getting a snow
cone we would have definitely felt more
trusted and more respected hopefully not
like this I also think back to that mass
quantity of information that we’re
collecting every day with all of this
information surrounding us the way to do
better and to make better decisions is
to keep the human element in mind you
are the world’s next decision-makers you
have seen the repercussions of bad
decision making or poor decision making
in our state our country and across the
globe you can do better use the
information that you have be truthful
and be kind with yourself and with
others and make sure that sometimes you
realize the best solution is to stop
measuring stuff thank you
[Applause] [Music]
your childhood someone who was close
with you someone you trusted this might
be a grandparent a parent a guardian and
aunt uncle a cousin and older sibling a
family friend do you have someone
pictured in your mind great
now imagine yourself at six or seven
years old you’re walking through
downtown Chicago holding hands with your
trusted adult that person you pictured
in your mind it’s a sunny sticky sweaty
and smoggy summer day for several days
into a heat wave and you’re exhausted as
the Sun beats down on you between the
skyscrapers several times you felt a
bead of sweat trickled down your spine
your throat is dry and Scratchy
and you just want to rest you turn the
corner and you notice a food truck up
ahead as you get closer you realize this
is interests in a food truck it’s a snow
cone truck you’re don’t must have
noticed it too because you hear hey do
you want to go snow cone so I want to
get a snow cone yes you shout nothing
sounds better than a snow cone right now
you can already taste the sweet cold ice
on your tongue you start walking a
little faster there might even be a
little skip in your step is to get
closer and closer to the snow cone truck
and that cold wonderful reprieve but as
you approach the truck the hand you’re
holding just keeps going right past the
snow cone truck aren’t we getting snow
cones you’ve asked and you hear the
response no we’re not getting snow cones
how do you feel do you feel like
this do you feel like this or this or
possibly this why would someone do this
to you why would anyone especially
someone you trust ask you if you want a
snowcone only to walk right by now is it
possible there was a logical reason for
not getting a sno-cone
maybe you relate for your train or your
bus maybe there was a sign that said
closed or cash only maybe your trusted
adult had a different snow cone stand in
mind one that was several blocks away
but you don’t know that in this instant
all you really know is that you want a
snow cone and you don’t have one has
this ever happened to you have you ever
been asked a question and responded only
to be ignored or to feel betrayed I’m
here to speak with you this morning
about how we use information as we
continue I ask you to keep that snow
cone story in mind and how you felt at
the end of that story my guess is that
at some point in your life you have had
someone asked you a question
provided a response only to feel ignored
I thought it didn’t feel very good I’m
asking you to do better I’m saying that
you can use information in a better way
and along the way I’m going to talk a
little bit about why sometimes it’s best
if we just take a step back and stop
measuring stuff let’s start by talking
about a problem that we have human
beings have become information packrats
we continue to amass more and more data
every day a lot of this data comes from
social media tweets posts on our
Instagram and Facebook feeds constant
celebrity updates on snapchat
not to mention emails and texts phone
calls advertisements videos in fact in
2016
sanchez CEO art Landro reported that in
the previous two years we had amassed
more data than in the entire prior
history of the human race last year
analytics week reported
that we had collected a total of 2.5
trillion gigabytes of data and they gave
us this estimate for the future by 2020
1.7 megabytes of new information will be
created every second for every human
being on the planet to put that in
perspective imagine you were to type
just one second of that information onto
standard office paper just like this and
then stack that paper on top of itself
those stacks would be long enough to
reach around the world 97 times that’s
97 times per second
now what if I told you that less than
0.5 of that data percent of that data is
ever used or analyzed in other words we
continue to collect more and more
information but we’re only using a tiny
amount of it most of this information is
collected and analyzed without us giving
it a second thought if the recent
controversy surrounding Facebook and
Cambridge analytical has had any
positive impact it’s to show more and
more people how extensive the collection
of our online data really is but there’s
another type of data collection that
affects us on a more personal level that
we take more time out of our everyday
and that is the survey just this week I
reviewed the number of surveys that I
have collected so in the last week
looking at the surveys at the bottom of
my restaurant receipts or shopping
receipts or those in my email not
including anything that I may have
scrolled past on social media or on
websites I counted 21 surveys in the
last week alone most of those surveys
provided some sort of incentive for
taking the survey and guess how many I
completing one I work with surveys as
part of my job and I completed one
single question survey out of 21
available to me in the last week why
don’t I complete surveys in large part
it’s because I don’t believe that the
data is going to be used properly it’s
as though if someone asks me if I want a
snow cone
and I say yes snowcone I’m never getting
a snow cone and this is because I see
this happen all the time I’m not the
only one who’s skeptical Forbes media
reports that the majority of consumers
are annoyed by satisfaction surveys and
that two-thirds of people would rather
call email or discuss a concern
face-to-face than respond to a survey
I’m sure you’ve also had the experience
of having someone specifically ask you
to give them a positive review on the
survey all of this creates bias in the
survey results this means that the most
actionable data that companies are
receiving isn’t coming from surveys and
yet me keep getting surveys in the
workplace CEOs are largely ignoring
employee engagement survey results a
workforce engagement firm motive acity
reports that fewer than two percent of
CEOs review employee engagement survey
results more than once millions of
dollars and countless work hours are
spent on these surveys and CEOs are
ignoring the results and yet we keep
getting surveys so where do you fit into
all of this other than being overloaded
with surveys and information and
probably feeling like you need to do
something to lock down your online
presence I’m asking you to do better do
better than those corporations do better
than those employers do better than the
people who are empowered today I’m
asking you to think about yourself and
other people when you collect
information I’m asking you to be
truthful and be kind when you collect
information and believe it or not you
can be truthful and kind by asking
yourself one simple question how are you
going to use the information let’s
imagine that you want to use the
information so that you can support a
decision you already made in other words
you already made up your mind it sounds
silly right why do you need more
information if you already made up your
mind you don’t
see this happen all the time too someone
will have made a decision and then when
they’re collecting additional
information they’re really just
collecting information to support the
decision that they already made the
truthful and kind answer here is to stop
measuring stuff communicate your
decision and move on what if instead you
need additional information before you
can make a decision great keep going and
as you’re continuing to gather
information make sure you’re using
reliable sources and you reach out to
experts for help as needed what if
instead you already have the amount of
information that you need in order to
make a decision you’ve reviewed your
information it’s from unbiased sources
and it clearly points you towards a
specific decision many people will
continue to gather additional
information at this point thinking the
more data the better right this isn’t
what you need to do the truthful and
kind answer here is to stop measuring
stuff all of our time is too precious to
waste gathering information that we’re
not going to use next let’s think about
a scenario where you’re trying to
measure effectiveness maybe of a program
you’re working on or maybe make some
improvements great these are some of the
best reasons to collect information
determine measures for effectiveness
collect information and then make sure
you use that information to make
improvements this last one is tricky you
may have been told that you need to
measure something this usually by your
boss or someone that you work with or at
your company you’re probably annoyed and
probably think this is going to be a
gigantic waste of time but I’m asking
you to be truthful and kind to yourself
here as well if you are being asked as
part of your responsibilities to measure
something make sure you measure
something that’s meaningful to you for
example you might want to measure
effectiveness of something you’re
working on or you might want to make
improvements this is great
then you will know that you’re using the
information
properly and you’re not wasting your
time or anyone elses time next make sure
you communicate the decision that you
make and make sure you communicate the
information that you use to make that
decision think back to that snow cone
we’re not sure why our trusted adults
ignored our input but if they had only
told us why we weren’t getting a snow
cone we would have definitely felt more
trusted and more respected hopefully not
like this I also think back to that mass
quantity of information that we’re
collecting every day with all of this
information surrounding us the way to do
better and to make better decisions is
to keep the human element in mind you
are the world’s next decision-makers you
have seen the repercussions of bad
decision making or poor decision making
in our state our country and across the
globe you can do better use the
information that you have be truthful
and be kind with yourself and with
others and make sure that sometimes you
realize the best solution is to stop
measuring stuff thank you
[Applause] [Music]
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