Be concise!
I started a monthly newsletter almost 25 years ago (which I recently discontinued). And almost six years ago I started writing these "Wednesday Wisdom" missives. I've received more compliments about my Wednesday Wisdom in six years than I have for my monthly newsletter in nearly 25 years ago.
Why? Because these missives are concise. They focus on a single, simple point. And as a result, they're "easier" to read than my longer monthly columns were.
Several readers have said some variation of "I know I can read this right away as opposed to setting it aside to read later, which I know I won't do." (One reader even told me: "Yours is the only newsletter that I don't immediately delete.")
What's this got to do with data management? Ultimately, everything we do involves communication. How we communicate with our members. How we communicate with our software vendors. How we communicate with other staff. That includes the data we collect and the data we use.
If we can be more concise in all of these communications, we're more likely to get our message across to whomever it is we're communicating with.
I've already gone on too long! Be concise.
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
KPIs and Dashboards
I saw DJ Muller from MemberClicks speak on KPIs (key performance indicators). In his session […]
Documenting Process is Critical
When it comes to managing data successfully, process is critical. For example, a client of […]
Motion vs. Action
In James Clear’s book Atomic Habits (I recommend it!), he discusses the concept of motion vs. action. […]
Are You Answering Your Calls?
I’ve written about this before, but apparently I have to keep repeating it. If you’ve […]
Who do you trust?
Who Do You Trust I was reading an article recently about Warren Buffet’s “rules” for […]
Set benchmarks to measure progress
It’s impossible to measure progress if you don’t know your starting point. This sounds axiomatic, […]
You’ll make incorrect decisions. Acknowledge them and fix it.
A client of mine recently wrote the following to me: “It’s so hard to set […]
"Experience is unobservable to everyone except the person who it happens to."
In Dan Gilbert’s book Stumbling on Happiness, he writes: “Experience is unobservable to everyone except […]
Know Your Audience Before You Speak
This one may seem obvious, but when you’re speaking to anyone, whether it’s one person, […]
"Behavior is a function of the person in their environment."
Lewin’s equation says “behavior is a function of the person in their environment.” (He was […]