Here’s a scenario that’s all too familiar:
You’re sitting in a meeting; the presenters are walking you through a PowerPoint loaded with data.
They’re showing you charts and graphs, explaining increases here and decreases there.
The presentation ends. And you have no idea what to make of it.
You ask the dreaded question. “So, what does this mean?”
The presenters start to scramble. Surely the visuals explained the story. What more could they say?
This lack of real insight is enough to make business leaders tear their hair out.
It’s a conversation I have all too frequently with business leaders. And here’s the gentle but hard truth that goes along with it: when leaders want real data insights, and they all do, they must recognize what they’re getting wrong, so that they can start to get it right.
Data insights don’t happen by magic
Let’s face it: leaders are human. And as humans, they often don’t know how to articulate what they want. This unintentionally leaves their team to figure it out on their own, which almost always ends in frustration.
“Just go look at the data. I’m sure you’ll find the answers in the numbers,” said every well-intentioned decision maker ever.
That’s the big mistake I see organizations make time and time again. They think there’s some dark magic involved in uncovering insights. They believe that the answers are buried in the numbers and that if their team just looks hard enough, they’ll reveal themselves.
But real insights don’t lie in the numbers alone.
Why?
Because an insight is always in the eye of the audience. Two people can look at the same data and walk away with completely different conclusions.
For example, an executive at Kellogg’s may see one thing, while an executive at their competitor, General Mills, will see something else. What matters depends on who’s looking.
The real magic lies in understanding what matters. The more leaders can share about what they’re thinking and why, the more effective analysts will be at uncovering insights that truly resonate.
Not every insight is an ‘earth-shattering kaboom’
Here’s something else a lot of organizations get wrong about data insights: they’re not all going to be jaw-dropping. Those kinds of truly disruptive findings or ‘earth-shattering kabooms’ as I call them, are potent but very rare.
It’s important to manage expectations when it comes to determining what a data insight is. Not every revelation is going to knock your socks off. The far more common response of “Huh, I was expecting to see something different” often reflects the type of insight we need to keep the business on track.
Getting better insights is within your control
I’ve shared my RAD principle before, and it definitely applies here. If you’re finding data presentations aren’t answering the ‘So what?’ you need, the problem isn’t the analytics. It likely comes down to one of three areas:
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- Request: The clarity and focus of the question being asked
- Acumen: The depth of business understanding behind the analysis
- Delivery: How effectively the insight is being communicated
Unclear requests
It’s worth repeating: too often, leaders assume their team can read their minds, which results in the classic analyst frustration, “If they had just said that, this would have been so much easier!”
Most requests feel clearer in our heads than they actually are. But when the ask is vague, it creates delays, frustration, and weak insights because no one understands what is really being asked of them or why.
A clear request is not just a checklist. It includes the why, what, and how: why you are asking, what you are thinking, and how the answer will be used. When your team is clear on your perspective, they’re in a much better position to explore the right data and deliver insights that actually matter.
Lack of organizational acumen
When looking for insights, closing an acumen gap isn’t about understanding functional strategies or technical analytic skills. It’s about operational literacy; having a deep understanding of which levers can be pushed and pulled within the organization to make things happen.
This type of business acumen is not innate, and you can’t assume your team simply has this knowledge by default. They need the opportunities to fully understand the business before they can be expected to provide real, actionable insights.
Disjointed delivery
If data-driven presentations are simply missing the mark, then yes, it’s possible the problem comes down to presentation skills. But when it comes to delivering insights, it’s more than just presence and managing the room. It’s knowing how to communicate with data, and many simply have never been taught.
As a result, we see an over-reliance on the data: that dreaded data dump — pages of charts with no clear point of view. It could be a function of lacking the confidence to interpret the findings or worry about stating the obvious in front of senior leaders.
But whatever the reason, the real message isn’t breaking through. And that’s a skill that can be developed. You can elevate your team by helping them develop the data-oriented soft skill to connect the what, so what, and now what in their material.
When you get insights right
Remember, insights don’t have to be mind-blowing to be significant.
If it’s something that’s going to have a material change in the way you’re operating, that’s important.
If your team can simply provide a new perspective that no one has considered before, that’s valuable.
If it gets the senior team to sit up, take notice and say: “I’d never thought of it that way,” that’s huge.
But if you’re not getting the insights you need, the problem may be broader than you realize — it might be how you’re setting the stage for your team.
Don’t wait for better insights. Ask sharper questions, offer deeper context, and watch your team rise to meet you.
Ready to get insights right?
Let’s help your team turn numbers into narratives that drive decisions. Learn more about our data storytelling training programs or book a free consultation.
