90% Mindset, 10% Technical
What do I mean when I say that the success in nonprofit data and technology work is 90% mindset, 10% technical?
I mean that the steps to writing a vlookup formula (Here, I’ll write a fake one in 10 seconds → =vlookup(A6,A:D,2,False) ) are 10% or less of what it takes to use this formula for good. The bulk of what you need is in the mindsets that can be used to approach your use of data & technology:
Why you are using the formula, what you expect out of the formula, the context within which you are using the formula, how you are feeling when you are writing the formula, what else depends on this formula going well, what other information you will couple with the information from this formula, how you match your understanding of the “real world” with whatever information this formula gets you, and more.
You can look up the steps on the internet for writing a vlookup formula. But if you haven’t worked through some of these mindsets first then those steps will be only about 10% helpful for you. The other 90% it will be is frustrating, headache-inducing, distracting, and misleading.
This one spreadsheet formula is a small example, but one that I’ve seen play out time and time again. The same concept applies to nearly any use of data & technology.
Your technology is almost never “wrong” - it is just doing what it is built to do based on the inputs it is given.
When we are using data & technology for good, we need to understand what the technology is trying to do and how that might differ from what we are trying to do. There is one very simple and straightforward way that you can build and strengthen the mindsets that lead to success in using, learning, and even loving your data & technology:
Write down what you want, what you expect, what you know, and what you don’t know.
I do this myself for nearly anything I do with data & technology. Seriously - you might think it would slow you down, but I promise it actually helps you move faster. It speeds you up because it helps you get on the same page as your data & technology significantly faster. First, write these things down for yourself - what you want. Then, write these things down for your technology - what it wants.
But how can you know what technology “wants” and “knows” and “expects”? Is this even something that technology or data can do? Not really, not in the same sense of what you as a human want, know, and expect. But if we think of these terms in the context of the rules of technology and the inputs we give it, then we can figure out what is going on with our data & tech.
Take the example of the vlookup formula - everyone’s favorite spreadsheet formula that you might love to hate (side-note, vlookup is irrelevant in Excel now that we have xlookup).
What does it “want”? It wants to “look” at the data in your spreadsheet and display in the cell you wrote the formula atha piece of information that is already somewhere else in the spreadsheet.
What does it “know”? It knows where to look, what to look for, and what to display based on the inputs you put into the formula.
What does it “expect”? It expects your data to be set up in a certain way to, it expects to look in only one place, it expects to stop looking when it finds the thing it is looking for (even if there are more than one of the thing), it expects to display an error if things don’t go exactly as planned.
It does not expect to “give you what you want” - it has no idea what you want, it has no “ideas.” Computers are stupid. People are smart. You are smart. You can do this.
It isn’t the technology and data you have that are changing the world, it is you and how you use these tools to accomplish your missions.
To use these tools effectively for our missions, we need to shift our mindsets. The great news is that you likely already have everything you need to take on the mindsets that are most helpful for learning, using, and loving data & technology. Things like critical thinking, problem-solving, detail-orientation, systems-thinking, relationship building, empathy, listening skills, grit, resilience, and more. For example, I’ve leaned on my educational experiences in literature and theater A LOT as I interact with data & technology for mission-driven work.
If you are interested in trying out the 90% mindset, 10% technical approach with me, I’ve got a few opportunities coming up:
MONTHLY WEBINAR: Beginner to Advanced in Spreadsheets
This workshop is designed to build your confidence and give you the mindsets and processes you can use to do anything with Excel or Google Sheets. I’ve facilitated it many times and it gets positive feedback from almost all participants. Come as a beginner, leave an expert. YES. It is a bold claim. Come see how we do it. Register for any of the monthly sessions here.
MONTHLY CHALLENGE: Shut Down Your Computer at Night Challenge
Email, browser tabs, handfuls of applications to sign into, endless to-do lists and places to keep them...these technological miracles are supposed to be helping us move faster and more efficiently in our change-making. But too often they are slowing us down or overwhelming us, keeping us away from the far more important work that we are meant to be doing. NOT ANYMORE. The last week of each month I’ll be running the 5-Day Shut Down Your Computer at Night Challenge. Having your digital life under control means you can shut down your computer at the end of the day and feel good about starting it up again the next day. Use this link to learn more and register for any of the upcoming sessions.
I hope I’ll see you on this journey so we can share together and learn from each other!!
