Hi ,
When deadlines loom, it's easy for data scientists to become fact-finders for hire.
Here's how it usually happens:
Your boss needs results for tomorrow's board meeting, but the data doesn't support what the board wants to hear.
So you start cherry-picking facts, filtering out inconvenient outliers, and bending your analysis until it tells the "right" story.
There's a reason why Mark Twain described the three kinds of lies as: "lies, damned lies and statistics."
Under pressure, data scientists flip their priorities upside down because its easier to find facts that support opinions than to change opinions based on facts.
But even though it may look like a shortcut in the moment, it's a shortcut off a cliff.
In the latest Value Boost (9 minute) episode of Value Driven Data Science, Dr. Brian Godsey, author of Think Like a Data Scientist, returns to share his powerful "Knowledge first, Technology second,
Opinions third" hierarchy - a framework that will transform how you handle stakeholder pressure without compromising your standards.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- Why this critical hierarchy gets dangerously inverted when deadlines loom and how to prevent it from undermining your credibility.
- How to
resist the career-limiting trap of cherry-picking facts that merely support executive opinions.
- A practical note-taking technique that keeps you anchored to reality when stakeholders push for convenient answers.
- The one transformative habit that separates truly valuable data scientists from those who merely validate existing assumptions.
Don't let deadline pressure turn you into a fact-finder for hire.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or click the link below:
Episode 67: The 3 Level Hierarchy That Protects Your Data Science Credibility
Talk again soon,
Dr Genevieve Hayes.
