Successful data-driven organizations understand that pure rationality is a myth. They know that "taking emotion out of decisions" is neither possible nor desirable.
When we talk about being "data-driven," we often picture decisions untouched by emotion: Analysts crunch numbers, dashboards glow with metrics, and leaders follow the evidence wherever it leads.
But science tells us that decision-making is inherently emotional. Neuroscientists found that patients with impaired emotional processing, but perfect logical abilities, were paralyzed by even the simplest of choices. Pure rationality alone made them unable to decide.
Successful data-driven companies see this as a feature. Instead of trying to remove emotions, they treat them as data. Rather than asking, "How do we eliminate emotions from our decisions?" they ask questions like:
▪ What fears might be driving our conservative market projections?
▪ When we say “the data supports this strategy,” what hopes or anxieties might be shaping that interpretation?
▪ Which decisions are we avoiding because of unacknowledged fears? Which ones are we rushing into because of unchecked enthusiasm?
▪ How might our team's emotional state shape the way we collect and analyze data?
That doesn't mean letting emotions take over. It’s about expanding what we consider as data. When we acknowledge fears instead of suppressing them, we spot risks sooner. When we understand excitement, we can separate genuine opportunities from hype.
Every business decision, no matter how data-driven, has an emotional side. Assessing risk data involves feeling fear or excitement. Evaluating market opportunities brings up trust or suspicion. Even resource allocation evokes confidence or doubt.
A truly rational approach isn’t pretending to be an algorithm. It’s recognizing that emotions inevitably shape our choices and integrating that understanding into our data-driven decision-making. The question isn't whether emotions influence your decisions—they do—it's whether you're aware of how they do.