Are we torturing the data until it tells the truth? It’s one of those questions that lingers, isn’t it? I heard it from a senior executive at a leadership meeting during my time at a large organization. He wasn’t trying to stir the pot or provoke negativity. No, this was a challenge—a gentle, thoughtful push to look beyond the obvious.
At the time, our numbers were good. We were hitting targets, exceeding expectations, and on paper, the organization was doing well. Any outsider looking in would have applauded our success. But his question wasn’t about celebrating the wins. It was about digging deeper. Were we using data to tell the full story? Or were we carefully crafting a narrative that showed only the parts we wanted to see?
This wasn’t a criticism. It was a nudge to dig deeper.
Because here’s the thing: Data tells stories, but not all of them are happy ones. And if you only listen to the good stories, you risk missing the opportunities hiding in the uncomfortable truths.
Data tells stories, but only if you’re willing to listen – That question—“Are we torturing the data until it tells the truth?”—stuck with me, not just because of the way it was asked, but because of what it implied.
Years later, when I was leading the investments team at a private equity firm, that lesson came up repeatedly. Each year, we reviewed hundreds of investment opportunities. Every company had a pitch deck—polished, carefully curated, and designed to tell a story that was, frankly, irresistible.
The thing is, those pitch decks weren’t lying or misleading. They were just…focused. Every chart, every slide, every data point was crafted to say, “Look how great this is!” And often, the stories were compelling. But my job wasn’t to take them at face value. It was to dig deeper.
I had to ask: What wasn’t being said? What was the data trying to tell us beyond the headlines?
When you start peeling back the layers of data, it’s fascinating what you find. Maybe a company had a meteoric rise in revenue but was hemorrhaging cash in the process. Or perhaps they’d found incredible success in one niche market but were struggling to break into new ones. The data wasn’t dishonest, but it was often incomplete.
That’s why the truth matters. It’s rarely simple, but it’s always valuable. When we take the time to ask hard questions of our data, we don’t just uncover problems—we uncover possibilities.
For example, a common finding in several companies we looked at had a similar story. On paper, it would often look like a no-brainer. Revenue was climbing, market share was solid, and growth projections were through the roof. But something in the data wouldn’t sit right. When we started digging deeper, we often found that customer acquisition costs were unsustainable. Without significant changes, the business model wouldn’t hold up.
It wasn’t the story we wanted to hear, but it was the story we needed to hear. And because we listened, we often walked away from these types of deals unless they had a clear path to address our concerns.
The Role of Curiosity – What I’ve learned is that curiosity is the most important tool when it comes to understanding data.
Curiosity drives you to ask questions. Not just surface-level ones, but the kind that make you tilt your head and say, “Huh. What if we looked at it this way instead?” It pushes you to challenge assumptions and explore the numbers from different angles.
Because data, as powerful as it is, can be shaped to tell almost any story. It can paint a picture of incredible success—or catastrophic failure. The same numbers, arranged differently, can evoke entirely different emotions. And that’s why curiosity is so critical. It helps you push past the obvious and find the truth buried beneath the surface.
The Stories We Want to Hear – There’s an understandable temptation in business to focus on the positive. We want to celebrate the wins, highlight the progress, and show that we’re moving in the right direction.
But when we only listen to the good stories, we miss the chance to grow. It’s in the messy, complicated parts of the data—the parts that don’t fit neatly into a success narrative—where the real opportunities lie.
I’ve seen it happen time and again. A team presents a glowing report: sales are up, customer satisfaction is high, market share is growing. Everyone nods along, proud of what’s been accomplished. But then someone asks a question, and the tone shifts. Maybe it’s about retention. Maybe it’s about margins. Maybe it’s about a single line item that doesn’t quite add up. And suddenly, the story becomes more complex.
Complex doesn’t mean bad. It means real.
A Question Worth Asking – So, the next time you’re faced with a spreadsheet, a dashboard, or a set of metrics, ask yourself: What’s the data not telling me? What questions haven’t I asked yet? Am I looking for the truth, or just the version of the story I want to hear?
The answers won’t always be easy. They might even be uncomfortable. But that’s where the real value lies.
Because when we stop torturing the data to fit our narrative and start letting it challenge us, we don’t just find problems—we find solutions. We make better decisions. And we move forward, armed with the kind of insight that only comes from asking, “What’s the full truth here?”
See you next week,
Brent, your Rivr Guide
