Fool Me Once, Shame On You
The book How to Read Numbers: A Guide to Statistics in the News (and Knowing When to Trust Them) is an enlightening guide to the numbers we read in the news and why they are so often misleading. The author’s Tom Chivers and David Chivers make sense of dense material and offer insights into sampling bias, statistical significance, and the dangers of believing the casual language used in the news. They make it clear from the beginning that the purpose of the book is to talk about numbers “…we’re going to talk a lot about numbers: about how they’re used in the media, and about how they can go wrong – and give misleading impressions. ” The statement “misleading impressions” is important because it shows the intent of how organizations, specifically the news, use statistics to mislead, for shock value, or to amplify their point. I cannot stress how important this is, especially in the age of social media. In order to understand the importance of misleading statistics we need to define it. “Misleading statistics refers to the misuse of numerical data either intentionally or by error. The results provide deceiving information that creates false narratives around a topic. ” Misuse of statistics often happens in advertisements, politics, news, media, and others.
Why This Is Important As Leaders?
In their book Extreme Ownership, authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin say that “For leaders, the humility to admit and own mistakes and develop a plan to overcome them is essential to success. ” But if we do not have the proper information or incorrect statistical information, how can we best lead our teams? One of the things that the book How to Read Numbers points out is that we need to treat statistical information with caution. Even if we agree with the statistical information because it proves our point or supports our idea, we still need to treat it with caution. As a leader, we have influence. John Maxwell says that leadership is influence, and as a leader, we need to be careful in how we wield our influence. This reminds me of the scripture that terrifies me the most in all of scripture, which is James 3:1 “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”
As Christian leaders, we need to take care of how we communicate information (statistics included) because God holds us to a higher standard, so when we are presented with information, we have to scrutinize it not just for ourselves but also for the sake of those that we lead. It is a huge honor and responsibility to be a leader in any sense but to be a leader that follows Christ, we are held to the highest standard.
This book is done in a light, approachable style that makes it a delight to read. It’s all nicely balanced, informative and laser-accurate in pinpointing the errors we see day after day from the media, which is important to keep in mind in the age of social media.
3 responses to “Fool Me Once, Shame On You”
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Daron,
I thought you brought out two excellent points that I’d like to comment on 1) the humility to admit mistakes, and 2) the leadership influence. In my mind they go hand in hand.
Unfortunately, many leaders in both the secular and Christian sphere have difficulty admitting mistakes. However, I’ve experienced the grace of God to know that when I’ve taught something in error in one of my seminars or just plain missed it – when I have humbly admitted the mistake – there is redemption.
As we learned from Walker’s book, many leaders would rather lead or influence others through manipulation and corruption – and I daresay it may be to cover their tracks versus admit a mistake.
As Christian leaders we do have to be more mindful when it comes to presenting statistics and other numerical data. But if there are some who ‘twist’ scriptures and won’t admit their mistake do you think there is hope for pulling out of this age of misinformation?
Hi Audrey,
Great question. I think it is possible, but it will take intentional work from others to fight the misinformation. With social media giving everyone a voice (good and bad) we are going to be in the battle of fighting misinformation more and more. It happens whenever a media disruption happens that gives more people a platform. It happened with books, tv, movies, blogs, websites, etc… The easier the access is to a medium, the easier it is to spread misinformation. The flip side to that is it is also easier to spread the truth but those that spread the truth have an uphill battle to fight.
Daron – So many great references! The ability to admit mistakes is a needed and heroic move. In my experience, it is not often welcomed, mostly because no one is doing it. It’s like admitting a weakness to everyone to say, “I got this one wrong.” Yet, it can create a safe environment for learning and team building.
What has been your experience admitting mistakes? How has it been received?