Learn How To Think

The most important skill in data is the ability to think. There aren’t any online courses for “thinking”. It may not be on any job description. But I assure you this skill is how data professionals provide the most value.

In this post I will explain why thinking is a core data skill. I will then introduce a framework for how to think as a data professional.

Why Thinking Matters

Other professionals prioritize speed. They measure themselves by how much they can produce in a given time period.

• Sales professionals measure their performance with revenue dollars.

• Engineers measure themselves by the amount of code they write.

• Marketing teams measure themselves on the amount of customers they generate.

Data work is different. It is a type of work where quality is better than quantity. We achieve this quality by slowing down.

We need to allow our minds to clarify the information in front of us. The people we work for need us to help them clarify their information. Clarification is a product thinking.

This is true at the micro and the macro levels of data work.

• Micro

  • What is this data I’m looking at?

  • What useful information does it provide me?

  • How can this information help my company?

  • Can I trust this information?

• Macro

  • How does this company make money?

  • How does each team play a role in this process?

  • What information do they need to do it better?

  • Do we have this information?

Companies that hire data professionals have more questions than answers. They operate in a space of ambiguity where it is difficult to be productive. Other professionals at the company don’t have time to answer these questions.

Data professionals need to answer these questions with a framework for thinking clearly. The resulting clarity will lead to less stress and higher productivity across the organization.

How I Learned to Think

I studied philosophy in college. When I graduated, I was certain that I had no marketable skills. I didn’t study anything “useful” like math, statistics, or computer science.

Instead I wrote many papers. I wrote about abstract topics including -

• How do we know that we exist?

• Is morality based on intuition or perception?

• What is the definition of knowledge?

I wondered how writing these papers were ever going to land me a job.

I had yet to realize what these papers were training me to do. They were training me to define abstract concepts with clear language. This training turned out to be quite useful for my data career.

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“Clarity, above all, has been my aim.” -Bertrand Russell

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A philosophy paper requires two things: clarity and reason. Each sentence must either:

1. Clarify - Define what you are talking about.

2. Reason - Conclude something from these definitions.

This is my framework for how to think. It is simple. But it is difficult in practice. Let’s look at an example. Consider the following question -

Where does moral law come from?

Step 1 (Clarify) - Identify what we need to define.

• Law

• Moral

Step 2 (Reason) - How can our definitions help us answer the question? If we know what moral law is, we should be able to reason where it came from.

Data is Applied Philosophy

Let’s apply this framework to a common question for data teams -

Which marketing channels attract good customers?

Step 1 (Clarify) - Define the following:

• Channel

• Marketing Channel

• Customer

• Good Customer

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Bonus Challenge: Sometimes clarification is easy. Sometimes it will be difficult.

Which of the questions above will be easier to answer? Why?

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Step 2 (Reason) - How can our definitions help us answer the question?

• With a definition for a “good customer” we can deduce a count of “good” customers

• We can deduce the ratio of “good” customers to total customers

Eventually we can clarify and reason enough to answer the original question. For this post we will focus only on understanding the framework for how to think.

Thinking Is A Skill

Thinking is difficult. It is especially difficult when everyone else measures themselves by speed. How can we slow down when everyone else is speeding up?

The good news is that thinking is simple. Everyone has the available tools. We just have to practice it. We can practice by slowing down and removing distractions.

Practice this skill with the exercise below. Put 15-20 minutes on a timer. Close your computer. Turn off your notifications on your phone. Take some time to think through the challenge.

Exercise

Consider the following statement.

We don’t have a customer demand problem, we have a supply problem.

1. Think - Take some time to consider the claim above. Your homework is to think. Put 20 or 30 minutes on a clock. Put your phone on airplane mode. Shut off your slack and email notifications. Use only a pen and paper, whiteboard or a blank google doc.
   
   How can you apply the framework for thinking to this statement.

   • What needs clarification?

   • Is the logic sound?

   • What else can you reason from what you’ve clarified?
     

2. Email Me - Reply to this email me your answers. Feel free to send your answers to the challenge questions as well. I will do my best to respond within 72 hours.

Your answers should take 2 minutes or less to read. Anything longer requires more simplification. I will let you know if you have more work to do.