I love making New Year’s resolutions. The years I’m most successful are when I give myself one specific, measureable goal – as well as the plan for how I will achieve it. (Pat on the back to my 2011 self for giving up Diet Coke permanently.)
You may have resolved to make your organization more focused on business intelligence and analytics. But how do you ensure this becomes part of your team’s culture, and not just a well meaning idea that fizzles away after a few weeks?
For a data-driven culture to stick, your team needs to develop a routine. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, calls it a keystone habit. A keystone habit is a pattern that can start a chain reaction of other habits throughout your organization.
Maybe your keystone habit is a daily meeting, lasting no more than 15 minutes. In that meeting, have your team review a couple of key metrics. Each attendee is responsible for one metric and must be prepared to explain it. Even better, that employee is ready with specific actions they are proposing to improve that number.
By making this meeting a priority, you’ll demonstrate your commitment to becoming more data driven.
There’s a myth that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Duhigg found that the actual number of days varies greatly but will usually take much longer than this. So for this new culture to stick, you’ll need to keep this meeting going over the long-term. With this keystone habit in place, your team will soon develop other habits that will lead to smarter decisions about your business.
