xii • Foreword
willingness to challenge the status quo will increase the chance that data-
based insights yield better business outcomes.
Executives confront at least one objective constraint as they consider
their approach to data-driven decision making: there is a pervasive short-
age of deep analytic talent, and we simply cannot import enough talent
to ll this gap. Estimates of this talent gap vary, but there is little reason to
think it can be lled in the near term given the time involved in formal
education and the importance of rsthand business experience for ana-
lysts to become trusted advisors. With some irony, Google’s Hal Varian
believes that statisticians will enjoy “the sexiest job for the next decade.”
Analysts who combine strong ...