During a podcast that I participated in this week, I was asked why I keep referring to the importance of data and experimentation. The main reason is that in all the work I do with companies, the most common pattern around data is that it is either ignored or incorrectly interpreted to help people to avoid having to change their mind. We all walk around with strong conceptions about the real world and when there is data that conflicts with our views, we rather change our interpretation of the data than our views. This is why I stress the importance of experimentation. In an experiment we start by admitting that we don’t know and need to try something out in terms of a test. Simply starting from that position allows us to be much more open to whatever the data provides in terms of insights. That opens up for a much more open mindset to accepting the consequences of what the data is providing you. So, especially if you are claiming to be data-driven, where do you ignore the data or reinterpret it? And where could you be more honest about it?