If you haven’t read last week’s Data Drop yet, I’d recommend starting there. Today’s note builds directly on it.

Read it here: https://thedatadrop.beehiiv.com/p/year-end-reflection-what-did-your-data-actually-change

It asked you to reflect on -

What’s not working
What data isn’t landing
Where is effort not turning into impact

If you actually did that exercise (which I highly recommend), you probably noticed something uncomfortable -

They’re about strategy, usability, and clarity.

So the real question becomes -

Because reflection alone doesn’t change anything.

The fastest way reflection dies is by trying to fix everything at once.

Choose one gap that, if addressed, would immediately improve how data gets used.

Not the most interesting.
Not the most complex.
The one that creates the most friction and prevents action today.

Most gaps sound like this-
“Stakeholders don’t use the dashboard”
“Insights don’t lead to action”
“We keep pulling different iterations of the same data”

Those aren’t problems you can act on.

Reframe the gap as a decision that isn’t being made-
What decision should the dashboard support?
What decision keeps getting delayed?
What choice is leadership avoiding?

If you can’t name the decision, you can’t close the gap.

Acting on gaps doesn’t mean bigger projects.

It usually means removing things - fewer metrics, fewer slides, fewer audiences, fewer goals at once.

Progress happens when the work becomes small enough to actually finish.

You don’t need a re-org, you don’t need new tools, you don’t need buy-in from everyone.

You need one tangible change -
A different question in your next meeting.
A tighter dashboard brief.
A clearer “so what” at the end of your analysis.

Momentum comes from movement, not perfection.

Reflection shows you where you’re stuck. Action is choosing one piece to move.

Don’t fix everything. Fix the one thing that matters.

Until next week.
- Michelle