"We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing while others judge us by what we have already done." - From the novel Kavanagh by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

And what does that have to do with data management, you ask?

The first half says "we judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing," meaning we're always looking at what could possibly be done rather than what is. What I see frequently is associations are managing their data well, but feel like they should be managing it perfectly.

The second half says "others judge us by what we have already done." Which is to say, if your members and customers have had good experiences with your organization and how you manage their data, they have a positive perception of you. They can't see all the "problems" you see, and they're actually quite happy.

Those of us who see how the sausage is made can identify all the issues we have, but the consumer (the member or customer) only sees what they see. And my bet is, more often than not, they're pretty happy with their experience.

Don't lose sight of that.