Take action…

Take action...

"The greatest wisdom not applied to action and behavior is meaningless data." - Peter Drucker

This is my favorite quote about data. As I always tell my clients, "Don't collect data you're not going to use." And by "use," I really mean "take action on." Putting the data into a report and saying "Isn't that interesting?" is not really using it.

So I was pleased to see this quote come across my transom:

"Life rewards action, not intelligence." - James Clear

This is a great rephrase of Drucker. You can be super-smart (i.e., have all the data) but if you don't take action, there is no reward.

So whether it's the data in your association database or the data of your life, are you acting on it? Or are you just "collecting interesting information"?

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Be grateful

November 27, 2019

Be grateful As Thanksgiving approaches here in the US, I’m reminded of two words: Be […]

Do you really need to approve them?

November 20, 2019

Do you really need to approve them? I often joke that the very best (because […]

Negativity bias is why we need database PR

November 13, 2019

Negativity bias is why we need database PR I’ve written before how cognitive biases can affect […]

A system change requires a culture change

November 6, 2019

A system change requires a culture change By its very nature, when you introduce a […]

Where is that data?

October 30, 2019

Where is that data? This is what data management nirvana looks like: When the question starts with […]

Be deliberate, but act quickly

October 23, 2019

Be deliberate, but act quickly Be deliberate, but act quickly. These are my words of […]

Why associations don’t like the “S” word

October 16, 2019

Why associations don’t like the “S” word A couple of weeks ago I asked my […]

The “S” stands for “Standard”

October 9, 2019

The “S” stands for “Standard” In a conversation with a past client, we were discussing […]

Is that meaningless data?

September 25, 2019

Is that meaningless data? I’m not a big quotes guy, but one of the few […]

Be aware of unintended consequences

September 18, 2019

Be aware of unintended consequences I’ve written before that every decision involves a trade-off. When […]

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