The Danger of Data

I like data. That probably isn’t a surprise.

I’ve built scorecards, KPI frameworks, dashboards, and reporting cadences across manufacturing, healthcare, and service environments. I’ve seen data bring clarity, alignment, and momentum. I’ve also seen it do the opposite.

Because at a certain point, more data does not make you a better leader. It often makes you a worse one.

Not because data is bad, but because of how we use it.

The illusion of control

Most leaders don’t ask for more data because they love spreadsheets or BI tools. They ask for more data because they want control. Or at least the feeling of it.

"If I can see everything, surely I can manage everything. If I add one more metric, one more report, one more dashboard tab, I’ll finally have the whole picture."

But leadership doesn’t work that way.

Visibility is not control. And data is not judgment.

What often happens instead is this. Leaders drown in information, teams drown in reporting, and no one is quite sure what matters anymore.

When metrics multiply, accountability fades

Here’s a pattern I see all the time.

An organization starts with a handful of meaningful KPIs. They’re clear. They’re tied to the strategy and have well-understood outcomes. People know who owns them and why they exist.

Then something goes wrong. Performance dips. A miss shows up in the numbers. And the response is not to sharpen focus, but to add more metrics.  Here starts the misdirection.

Suddenly, the dashboard doubles in size. Lagging indicators get layered with leading indicators. Leading indicators get broken into sub-indicators. Before long, everyone is busy reporting, and no one is really accountable.

When everything is measured, nothing is owned.

Data should clarify responsibility, not blur it.

Data doesn’t make decisions, people do

This is where leadership quietly erodes.

Data is supposed to inform decisions. Instead, it often becomes a shield from making them.

I’ve sat in countless meetings where the conversation stalls because someone wants more data. Not better data (although that happens too). Just more.

Let’s wait another month. Let’s slice it one more way. Let’s see what happens next quarter.  Your silent nod tells me you’ve heard these comments before as well.

Sometimes that’s appropriate. Often it’s not.

The truth is uncomfortable. Most decisions are made with imperfect information. Leadership is not about eliminating uncertainty; it’s about navigating it.

When leaders hide behind data, teams feel it. Decisions slow down. Momentum fades. Confidence erodes.

The irony is that the more data you demand, the more you signal that judgment is not trusted.

Dashboards don’t lead teams

Another hard truth. Dashboards do not lead teams. Leaders do.

I’ve seen beautifully designed dashboards that change absolutely nothing. And I’ve seen simple, almost boring scorecards drive massive behavioural change.

The difference is not the data. It’s the conversation around it.

If metrics are reviewed without context, curiosity, or consequence, they become wallpaper. People glance at them, nod, and move on.

If metrics are used to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and reinforce priorities, they matter.

A dashboard should be a starting point, not the end of the discussion.

Precision is not the same as accuracy

One of the quiet dangers of modern analytics is false precision.

We can measure things down to two decimal places and convince ourselves that it makes them more real. It doesn’t.

Some of the most important leadership questions are not precisely measurable. Culture. Alignment. Decision quality. Trust. Focus.

That doesn’t mean we ignore data. It means we respect its limits.

Leaders who mistake precision for truth often miss what’s actually happening in their organization. They manage the numbers and wonder why outcomes don’t change.

What good data discipline actually looks like

Using data well is not about volume. It’s about discipline.

A few principles I often come back to.

First, fewer metrics, clearly owned. If a metric does not drive a decision or behaviour, it doesn’t belong on the scorecard.

Second, data tied to cadence. Metrics should show up in the right conversations at the right frequency. Weekly data in weekly meetings. Strategic metrics in monthly or quarterly reviews. Not everything, everywhere, all at once.

Third, data in service of questions. The best leaders use metrics to ask better questions, not to deliver verdicts.

And finally, data paired with judgment. Numbers tell you what happened. Leaders decide what it means and what to do next.

Leading is still a human skill

This is the part that often gets lost.

Leadership is not an analytical exercise. It’s a human one. Data supports it, but it does not replace it.

The best leaders I’ve worked with are comfortable saying, “Based on the data and what I’m seeing, here’s the call.”

They don’t wait for perfect information. They don’t outsource judgment to dashboards. They use data as a tool, not a crutch.

More data can be helpful. But clarity beats volume every time.

If your organization has more dashboards than decisions, more metrics than momentum, or more reporting than results, the problem is not a lack of data.

It’s a lack of focus.

And that is a leadership problem, not an analytics one.