The value of anyone who has any seniority or responsibility within their work is the value of their insight (and the appropriateness of their action based upon that insight).
For some people the job it is to collect the data and present it, for others it is to do the work and for others still it is to provide the insight.
The problem with SME’s (small and medium enterprise) is that very often the people at the top of the organization are also the ones collecting the data, before they analyse and interpret the data, before they decide which insights are to be acted upon and how those actions will impact the rest of the business.
It’s probably about time that we realise that the work of providing the insights is exhausting emotionally, tiring and requires space and creativity; also no small measure of experience.
To finish a full day of doing the ‘work’ followed by a period of collecting the information followed by a period of applying the insight is to do three peoples jobs and to confine themself to a guaranteed and inevitable burn out.
One of the most valuable aspects of anyone from leadership with the ability to provide cutting edge insights into data or circumstances is to navigate a course through them.
Difficult to do that from your lunch break.
Blog post number: 1429