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The Customer Is Always Right?
How Great Analysts Lead Stakeholders to Better Outcomes
Welcome to the Sunday edition of the Analytics Ladder.
Most customers dont know what to ask for. Your job is to get them what the need.
Here’s a bruising thought.
The customer is always right… Except when they're wrong.
And in analytics, they're wrong more often than you think. Waaay more often.
Not wrong because they're stupid. Wrong because they don't know what they don't know.
They ask for dashboards when they need decisions.
They want everything when they need focus.
They seek validation when they need truth.
They want you to read their mind. (It seems)
Your job isn't to give them what they ask for.
Your job is to give them what they need.
The difference between the two is good solid analytical leadership.
And this flavor of leadership starts with one simple word: "Why?"
The customer is always right"—that sacred commandment of commerce—assumes a curious thing: that the customer knows what they want, and more importantly, that what they want is what they need. But what happens when these assumptions crumble? What do we do when the very people we serve don't quite know how to ask for what would actually serve them?
This issue is about how to move from compliant analyst to trusted partner—without burning bridges or sounding like a jerk.
Let’s go.
They Ask for Dashboards. You Deliver Magic.
Most analytics requests come in like this:
"Can you give me a dashboard showing X by Y?”
That sounds like a brief. It’s not. It’s a guess at a solution. Customers rarely know what they actually need. It's true.
And if you build exactly what they asked for, without challenging the thinking behind it, you’re not helping—you’re enabling mediocrity.
Analytics leadership starts with one concept:
“Why?”
Ask it three times. Five times. Dig under the request. Find the real problem.
That’s when you stop being “the dashboard help”—and start being someone who makes people think and get results that matter.
When “Yes” = Failure
We’ve been taught that service means saying yes. But in analytics, “yes” can be a trap.
Because often, what they’re asking for isn’t possible. Or useful. Or wise.
Real-time? Not without latency issues.
All KPIs? That’s noise, not clarity.
A full report by Friday? Not with data this dirty.
The trick isn’t to say no. It’s to say:
“Here’s a better way.”
Stakeholders don’t want excuses. They want outcomes. So translate constraints into strategy:
“If we simplify this, we can get you weekly updates that highlight just the movement—so you act faster.”
You’re not just being helpful. You’re being essential.
My Wake-Up Call: The Dashboard Nobody Used
Early on in my career I was consulting into an FMCG business - a somewhat senior stakeholder asked our team for a regional performance dashboard (I cant remember exactly what it was tbh .. but for illustrative purposes it will do).
We built it. Fast. Clean. Automated. - It was never touched again.
Why?
Because we never really asked what decision it was supporting.
Some weeks later, I discovered she’d only opened it once—and didn’t find it helpful.
We were in a subsequent meeting and it turns out, from what I recall, all she really cared about variance between forecasts and actuals—not regions. We missed that nuance can you believe.
We scrapped the dashboard and built a one-page scorecard. Prototyped it. She checked it. Made some adjustments, then we put it in production.
That scorecard? It got used and acted on.
That probably was when I learned to stop serving the request.
I started solving the problem.
Heres a few more situations this applies to..
They Want Proof. You Offer Truth.
Some people don’t want insight. They want confirmation.
“Give me data that backs up the plan.”
“Show that my initiative is working.”
This is dangerous. Because when analytics becomes a validation tool, trust dies.
Your move?
Be the mirror, not the megaphone.
“Want me to test that assumption? If it holds up, great—we’ve strengthened the case. If not, we’ve caught it early.”
This is how you build credibility—not by being agreeable, but by being useful.
They Want Everything. You Give Them What Matters.
“Can you just give me all the data?”
Sure—if your goal is to create noise, overwhelm, and paralysis.
Leaders don’t ask for more. They ask for meaning. And part of your job is teaching them that.
Try something like this:
“What if we narrowed this down to the three metrics that actually drive action?”
(You can build up from there) .. Now you’re not reporting. You’re directing focus.
Less data.
More decisions.
That’s analytics leadership.
Don’t Just Serve—Lead
Here’s your 6-step drill this week:
Pause the next request. Don’t build immediately.
Ask "why" three times. Dig beneath the ask.
Reframe the problem. Say: “It sounds like the real issue is…”
Suggest a better format. Maybe a scorecard, a story, or even a conversation
Prototype it. Get confirmation. “Is this something you will implement in your business process”
Follow up. Ask: “Did this help you make the call?”
Every request is an invitation to lead. But only if you take it.
A Quick Poll - When given a brief with a solution ... |
If it doesn’t come natural at first its ok .. its something that you can develop over time. Like a hundred other things this will just become a normal part of your toolkit.
A toolkit you carry into authority and leadership.
This has served me very well. I hope it does for you too.
Best,
Tom.
PS.. Forward this to one analytics teammate who worries AI is eating their lunch — and help them climb the Ladder.
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