14 min
I'm Not a Numbers Person by Dr Selena Fisk: why it's not just about the money (honey) Steph's Business Bookshelf Podcast
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- Management
Hey, have you subscribed to the bookmark newsletter? If you liked this, you might like my twice-monthly email with book reviews and ideas of what you should be reading, and listening to, next. Click here to subscribe.
About the book
A practical and fascinating guide from leading data expert Dr Selena Fisk that teaches us how to make informed decisions using the numbers around us so we can work smarter and live better.
Data is everywhere. Smart watches track our steps and heart rate, social media platforms recommend people we might know and products we might like, and map applications suggest when we should leave home depending on the traffic.
From organising your home budget and understanding social media metrics, to running a side hustle or a multi-national, multi-million-dollar organisation, having the mindset ‘but I’m not a numbers person’ is no longer helpful or accurate.
I’m Not A Numbers Person takes us through the ‘why’ of data, the types of data we often see and use in life and work, and the key areas of data literacy, which is understanding the data and what it all means, and data visualisation, which is where we make the data look beautiful in tables, graphs or other visuals.
Whether you’re a solopreneur, a small business owner, an emerging leader, or in an executive leadership role, this book is a must-have guide to understanding data and making decisions in the 21st century.
Source: https://majorstreet.com.au/products/im-not-a-numbers-person-by-dr-selena-fisk
About the author
Selena is a data storyteller who is passionate about helping others sort through the numbers to tell the real stories and lead positive change. She fiercely advocates for a world in which we are all data-informed, not data-driven; yet she realises that this isn’t a skill set we all have or are confident in.
As a data coach and storyteller, Selena is as enthusiastic about building data storytelling skills in others as she is about building her own understanding of the evolving ways data can support individuals, organisations and communities to flourish and thrive. For her, using data in a way that benefits others is the only way to use it. Almost nothing will accelerate the impact we can have as humans like being able to see trends in the numbers, and using this information alongside our understanding of context to inform our decisions.
Source: https://www.selenafisk.com/about
Big idea #1 — It’s not just the dollars
When I first picked up this book, I assumed it was going to be a lot more about the financial side of businesses/work. However, on page one that assumption was dispelled. Of course, financials get a mention, but it goes way beyond that. The data literacy that Selena is talking about is the stuff that is all around us.
Everything from the dollars to the SEO stats and your website, your Google analytics, your podcast listeners, staff turnover, clicks on a job ad you posted, and a myriad of other stuff. In short data is everywhere. We’re dripping in it. And we’re not very good at always using it or making the most of it.
Early in the book, Selena looks at the levels of data use versus impact. This gives us the six types of data users that might exist in the world.
Unconscious: have no idea of the data around us, how it’s gathered or used.
Conscious: they might have quite a bit of fear, have heard horror stories about data breaches and they’re pretty suspicious.
Casual: they have some awareness but can’t articulate, explore or interrogate data.
Aware: starting to develop an understanding and is able to interrogate and interpret data in different ways.
Active: using data insights to inform what they’re doing.
Reflective: they’re refining and adjusting regularly to interpret data in the context of the wider environment and make decisions.
Ultimately, we want our decisions to be data informed, not data-driven. Data informed decisions, consider the world in the context, rather th
Hey, have you subscribed to the bookmark newsletter? If you liked this, you might like my twice-monthly email with book reviews and ideas of what you should be reading, and listening to, next. Click here to subscribe.
About the book
A practical and fascinating guide from leading data expert Dr Selena Fisk that teaches us how to make informed decisions using the numbers around us so we can work smarter and live better.
Data is everywhere. Smart watches track our steps and heart rate, social media platforms recommend people we might know and products we might like, and map applications suggest when we should leave home depending on the traffic.
From organising your home budget and understanding social media metrics, to running a side hustle or a multi-national, multi-million-dollar organisation, having the mindset ‘but I’m not a numbers person’ is no longer helpful or accurate.
I’m Not A Numbers Person takes us through the ‘why’ of data, the types of data we often see and use in life and work, and the key areas of data literacy, which is understanding the data and what it all means, and data visualisation, which is where we make the data look beautiful in tables, graphs or other visuals.
Whether you’re a solopreneur, a small business owner, an emerging leader, or in an executive leadership role, this book is a must-have guide to understanding data and making decisions in the 21st century.
Source: https://majorstreet.com.au/products/im-not-a-numbers-person-by-dr-selena-fisk
About the author
Selena is a data storyteller who is passionate about helping others sort through the numbers to tell the real stories and lead positive change. She fiercely advocates for a world in which we are all data-informed, not data-driven; yet she realises that this isn’t a skill set we all have or are confident in.
As a data coach and storyteller, Selena is as enthusiastic about building data storytelling skills in others as she is about building her own understanding of the evolving ways data can support individuals, organisations and communities to flourish and thrive. For her, using data in a way that benefits others is the only way to use it. Almost nothing will accelerate the impact we can have as humans like being able to see trends in the numbers, and using this information alongside our understanding of context to inform our decisions.
Source: https://www.selenafisk.com/about
Big idea #1 — It’s not just the dollars
When I first picked up this book, I assumed it was going to be a lot more about the financial side of businesses/work. However, on page one that assumption was dispelled. Of course, financials get a mention, but it goes way beyond that. The data literacy that Selena is talking about is the stuff that is all around us.
Everything from the dollars to the SEO stats and your website, your Google analytics, your podcast listeners, staff turnover, clicks on a job ad you posted, and a myriad of other stuff. In short data is everywhere. We’re dripping in it. And we’re not very good at always using it or making the most of it.
Early in the book, Selena looks at the levels of data use versus impact. This gives us the six types of data users that might exist in the world.
Unconscious: have no idea of the data around us, how it’s gathered or used.
Conscious: they might have quite a bit of fear, have heard horror stories about data breaches and they’re pretty suspicious.
Casual: they have some awareness but can’t articulate, explore or interrogate data.
Aware: starting to develop an understanding and is able to interrogate and interpret data in different ways.
Active: using data insights to inform what they’re doing.
Reflective: they’re refining and adjusting regularly to interpret data in the context of the wider environment and make decisions.
Ultimately, we want our decisions to be data informed, not data-driven. Data informed decisions, consider the world in the context, rather th
14 min