Log #028 | How to improve data literacy

Every company thinks they're data driven these days slapping it across job descriptions, company websites, and shouting it at all hands like it's a secret sauce to success. But, when you ask a company how they know they’re data driven the answer is usually a blank stare followed by "Um, we have a data team" or "We look at dashboards every week."

The reason companies can never get to the level of data obsession that I talk about in this article

is because they’re fundamentally approaching data driven, obsession, literacy, etc. in the wrong way. It's about creating a culture where everyone understands, speaks, and breathes the same language.

Data literacy is the ability to read, understand, create, and communicate with data. It's like any other language and you need to align on the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax to effectively communicate.

It means:

Here’s what it’s not:

According to research, companies with higher data literacy outperform their peers in:

Internally, data literacy creates alignment. When everyone speaks the same language, decisions become easier. No more "I think" vs "I feel" debates that waste time and lead to political decisions instead of fact-based ones.

Example of data literacy:

Team A: "I think we should put more budget into TikTok because it feels like it's working better."

Team B: "Our data shows TikTok has a 30% higher conversion rate but 2x the CAC of our Meta campaigns. Let's test increasing budget by 20% for 2 weeks to see if efficiency holds."

Which team would you trust with your marketing budget?

Perhaps the biggest benefit is autonomy. When your team is data literate, they don't need to wait for analysts to tell them what's happening. They can see it themselves, saving time and resources.