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Even though the snow is melting, with over a foot still on the ground I suspect it will be quite some time before I’m back on the golf course.  That won’t stop me from thinking about it, however.  If you’ve read the screed with any regularity you know that I often find business lessons in the game and today I want to point out another one which came to mind.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the golf course I have a nasty habit of beating myself up mentally.  I might hit a few good shots in a row but the subsequent bad shot (I’m not very good so there are quite a few of those) tends to stay with me.  Rather than considering the offline shot an anomaly I take it to be an indicator that I truly stink at the game and will never be any good and I should not be out here and…well, you get the idea.  The worst part of it is that those thoughts continue as I stand over the only shot that matters on a golf course – the next one.  A sports psychologist would tell you that I’m not staying in the present – my mind is focused on something that’s done and over which I no longer have any control.  This is bad on a physical level since anger creates tension and tension is not your friend while trying to swing a golf club. Obviously it’s not great for your blood pressure either.  But it’s also bad on a mental level because I’m focused on the wrong thing – the last shot, not the next one.

We do this in business too.  We all make mistakes – it’s part of learning and growing.  The key to being really successful is to learn from those mistakes and to forgive yourself.  We can’t change the shots we’ve already hit so we need to move on mentally and emotionally.  We can’t hit “undo” on many of our business choices but we can continue to write them anew each day.  This applies to dealing with others – subordinates, partners, etc. – as well as to ourselves.  Forgive and remember, maybe?

My golf game is a constant work in progress.  So is my business life. I’ve vowed not to get angry on the course for more than a few seconds after a bad hit and then to let it go.  I’ll forgive myself for my mistake. I’ll try to figure out what happened and fix it but attempt to do so without anger or fear.  Golf is hard.  So is business. Every shot is a new chance.  So is every day in business.

You ready to try that with me?

I’m remiss on mentioning a report that came out a couple of weeks back from the Teradata folks.  They surveyed 1,506 marketers in enterprises around the world and across all industries about how they’re using data in business decision-making. It’s an update of a survey they did in mid-2013 and my immediate response to it is that as marketers we seem to be getting there.  Where?

Let’s look at some of the results and I’ll explain my response.

• Marketers have more than doubled their use of data-driven marketing in the past 18 months. 78 percent of marketers now use data systematically, versus 36 percent in 2013.
• Marketers however still struggle with individualizing offers and communication. Only 50 percent routinely apply data to engage consumers. 44 percent admit a lack of consistency in omni-channel marketing. And 80 percent say that silos within Marketing prevent them from knowing how campaigns are performing across different channels.
• 43 percent of marketers say they now control their company’s customer data (up from 34 percent in 2013). And a vast majority (83 percent) say they take an omni-channel approach to reaching customers.
• 84 percent agree that making marketing and IT into strategic partners is vital.
• 92 percent agree that integrating data across teams can improve customer service.

The report focuses quite a bit on marketing personalization.  Those are things such as the emails you might get from Amazon after you’ve browsed and item but not bought or the “suggested for you” content you often see as you surf.  Frankly, I often find that to be more annoying than helpful (and often bordering on creepy).  But that isn’t the point today.

One thing I’ve often found difficult in working with clients is getting them to put aside their beliefs and to focus on the facts contained with the data.  Don’t take that to mean that I think decisions should always be taken on the basis of what the numbers show us.  I don’t.  I do, however, believe that we must use the data as a guide along with our experience.  That’s why I say that “we’re getting there.”  Doubling the use of data is encouraging and the higher levels of data integration found in decision-making is a bright spot.

Your thoughts?