Every strong decision starts with a question. The temptation in management is to move fast, defend the answer you already like, and treat data as decoration. My working method is the opposite: evidence over assumption.
Start with the wrong question
If a research project begins with a conclusion, it has already failed. I scaffold every inquiry the same way:
- Define the decision the evidence must support
- Map the assumptions currently standing in for facts
- Choose methods that can actually falsify those assumptions
- Let the findings re-shape the question before they shape the answer
Mixed methods, honest limits
Numbers tell you what is happening; conversations tell you why. I blend quantitative analysis with interviews and field observation, and I write the limitations into the final draft before the conclusions.
Research is not the act of confirming an opinion. It is the discipline of admitting you might be wrong.
That discipline is what makes evidence useful to leaders — because it survives contact with reality.