The Shiny Car Scenario

As you go down the DATA-INSIGHT-ACTION path, you are likely to encounter a great deal of success, especially early in the journey. You will be revealing things about employees to their leaders or themselves for the first time. The newness of the information will be enough to capture people’s interests. Their mouths might drop to the floor in their excitement about a new learning. But, the metrics are not likely to change dramatically. If you show updated results to someone, and the results are essentially the same, they are not likely to be too impressed, and they may start to lose interest.

This scenario is very similar to the experience one has when buying a new car. When you first drive it, you are incredibly excited, and you want to show it off to others. They may even share in your excitement. However, as the days go by, the new car starts to become less exciting. It still requires maintenance, and the glossy coat starts to lose its sheen. The...