Karl Dinkelmann
The CEO’s Data Dilemma
CEOs today find themselves knee-deep in data. And yet, with dashboards on every screen, regular updates from data teams, and sophisticated analytics capabilities at their fingertips, they still feel like something is missing. The visibility is there, but where is the value?
We must face the facts: most CEOs are data-literate. They are aware that data is powerful in some way. So, where is the gap? They lack confidence.
Business leaders require what we call data-confidence: not a superficial trust in their intelligence but a deep confidence in their ability to use data to drive real business outcomes.
We have all been in those well-lit boardrooms where large dashboards and performance metrics dance across those larger-than-life screens. Sure, the visuals are impressive. Everyone seems mesmerised. We nod as the presentation slides flip ahead. However, when the time comes to make those big, costly decisions, we still hesitate.
The silence becomes unbearable. Since no one wants to admit to uncertainty, the moment passes, and with it, the opportunity to create value.
Why? Because even the most impressive dashboard is vanity when the correlation to business outcomes is unclear.
Being data-confident has nothing to do with technical knowledge. You do not have to be able to write code, build algorithms, or generate visually striking dashboards. Instead, you must ask the right questions, understand what to expect from the results, and know how to drive conversations that connect data insights with strategy.
“Becoming data-confident is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing what questions to ask.“
Why Data-Confidence Matters More Than Ever
Worsening the business leader’s data challenge is the widespread belief that companies must be fully “data mature” before real value can be achieved. Maturity models are often positioned as prerequisites, suggesting that unless everything is in place: the tech stack, the governance, the skills… you should wait. This belief is one of the biggest obstacles to progress.
Real value does not wait for perfection. In fact, some of the most meaningful impacts we have seen come from small, focused actions that address specific problems:
- Identifying where customer engagement is falling off and fixing it can immediately improve revenue.
- Improving how frontline teams access and act on operational data can save time and money.
- Revisiting pricing using historical sales patterns can uncover margin improvements without needing new tools.
These gains do not require a sweeping transformation. They require decisive leadership. Confidence grows when teams act, test, learn, and adapt. This is how data-confidence is built: not in theory but in practice.
Data-confident leaders fully grasp how data capabilities align with business needs. These leaders embed insights in operational workflows and empower employees across functions to make better decisions, faster, at the coalface of the business and within the window of maximum value.
Becoming data-confident is also about changing the way you think. It means rejecting unnecessary complexity and focusing instead on outcomes. Leaders must learn to ask sharper, commercially relevant questions.
What can we do differently to retain more customers?
Where are we leaving margin on the table?
How can we accelerate sales of our newest products?
Just as importantly, it means creating the space for honest, strategic conversations. Many executives avoid engaging deeply with data teams because they fear they will not understand the details. This mindset creates distance, and with distance comes misalignment. But when leaders reframe the conversation around business value, collaboration improves. And so do results.
The companies that outperform today are not simply “data-driven.” They do not treat dashboards as decoration or data to collect for compliance. They treat them as a tool for action. They challenge them, work with them, and use them to make real decisions and drive real value.
“In the companies that succeed, data is not just the responsibility of a specialist team. It is everyone’s responsibility.”
Why Data Projects Fail (And What You Can Do About It)
Another common misconception is that data initiatives fail because the tools are not up to scratch. In truth, the technology is rarely the problem: most failures occur because leadership is disengaged. The project is handed over to technical teams, and the strategic link is broken.
More than eighty percent of analytics initiatives never deliver measurable value. What a staggering number! It should make us pause.
The issue lies not in data capability but in how data initiatives are being led. When data is seen as the job of a technical team, rather than a business-critical lever for performance, it loses its power to drive results.
We often see data teams focusing on technically interesting problems. These problems might be intellectually rewarding to solve, but they are not always the ones that matter to the business. The result? A beautifully engineered solution that sits unused because it does not speak to a commercial priority.
In such cases, technical teams often blame a lack of adoption for the lack of results, but when leadership stays close to the value conversation, the story can change dramatically.
“One of the biggest reasons data projects lose traction is that business leaders and data professionals operate in separate worlds.”
Becoming a Data-Confident Leader
Data-confident leaders build momentum, not dashboards, algorithms, or appealing visuals. Leading with data requires clarity, decisiveness, and a keen alignment with business priorities.
These are the leaders who ask:
- How can we apply this insight at the right step in the process?
- Are we measuring impact or just activity?
When Zjaén Coetzee and I noticed the severe lack of data-confidence at the C-level, we knew it had to be addressed. For this reason, we developed the RAPPID Value Cycle: a structured, repeatable approach to generating measurable business value from data analytics. It progresses through four key milestones, creating a cycle of confident investments and real results.
Utilising the proven frameworks outlined in Drive RAPPID Results From Data, we work with leaders to build this confidence, bringing structure and intention to how executives engage with data.
Our methodology is not merely theoretical; it is built for decision-makers. Used consistently, it keeps data teams focused on what matters and helps executives stay aligned with outcomes rather than outputs. It gives CEOs the confidence to lead data initiatives with the same authority they bring to strategic planning or financial oversight.
Closing the Gap Between Business and Data Teams
One of the biggest reasons data projects lose traction is that business leaders and data professionals operate in separate worlds. Executives focus on growth, margin, and shareholder value, while data teams focus on models, pipelines, and data quality.
These worlds need to meet.
The role of the CEO is to bridge this gap. Business defines the context; data defines the capability. But value only emerges when the two are in sync.
This means ensuring that business problems are properly articulated, requiring data teams to speak in terms that connect with commercial objectives.
The leadership team must ensure that every legal, technical, and operational stakeholder is aligned with the shared goal. By defining success in terms of business outcomes, leaders give everyone a clear reason to act.
Turning Insight into Impact
Every data initiative should begin with a business outcome in mind:
- What are we trying to improve?
- What intervention is needed?
- How will we know if it worked?
If these questions are not being asked from the beginning, then the data work is likely to fall short of its potential.
In Drive RAPPID Results From Data, we outline the 5Rs Framework: a practical decision-making tool to help business leaders assess whether a data analytics or AI-led initiative is worth pursuing. Its core purpose is to reduce failure rates by ensuring that every initiative is aligned with strategic business goals, has clear accountability, and delivers measurable outcomes. By evaluating projects through the lenses of Readiness, Ringleader, Results, ROI and Roadmap, the framework helps leaders prioritise efforts that are most likely to generate determinate value: shifting the focus from data activity to business impact.
“Data-confident leaders build momentum, not dashboards, algorithms, or appealing visuals. Leading with data requires clarity, decisiveness, and a keen alignment with business priorities.”
Culture Eats Dashboards for Breakfast
While you can invest in the most advanced tools available and build impressive reports and visualisations, the truth remains: if your culture does not value action, none of it will matter.
In the companies that succeed, data is not just the responsibility of a specialist team. It is everyone’s responsibility. Operations, finance, marketing, and product leaders all understand how data contributes to their outcomes. They share success stories, celebrate progress, and use data to drive value collectively.
Take Data Trust, for example. By aligning governance, security, and strategic priorities, you can create a system where trust is not just a compliance requirement but a strategic asset. The result? Decisions can be made with clarity. Customers notice. Partners respond. And the bottom line speaks for itself.
The Role of the CEO in a Data-Confident Company
You do not need to understand every technical detail to lead a data-confident company, but you do need to keep the focus on value. You can delegate execution; you cannot delegate clarity.
Every data initiative, no matter how complex, must be tied to a clear business reason. What does this look like in practice?
It means being willing to stop vanity projects early, asking uncomfortable questions when the numbers do not make sense, and backing the teams and projects that are showing real results.
The Data Value Assurance framework, which we describe in Drive RAPPID Results From Data, helps executives stay in control without becoming overwhelmed by technical detail. It provides a structured way to keep strategy, delivery, and outcomes aligned. CEOs who use this approach tell us the same thing: their teams become more focused, their initiatives move faster, and their results are easier to communicate.
This is not a theory. This is what leadership looks like when it connects data to value.
Final Thoughts: Lead With Value, Not Noise
As a CEO, you do not need to become a data scientist. But you do need to move beyond a belief that dashboards will lead to better business performance.
Becoming data-confident is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing what questions to ask. It is about knowing when something does not sound right. And it is about keeping the conversation focused on what truly matters: value.
You already have more data available than ever before. What your company needs now is leadership: the real, value-focused kind of leadership that connects data to outcomes that grow your business.
Challenge your teams to deliver impact, sponsor the initiatives that are moving the right numbers, and do not hesitate to shut down work that is not producing value.
Forget the technical: data-confidence is all about becoming more intentional. If you lead this way, your bottom line will reward you for it.
Biography
Karl Dinkelmann is a seasoned data analytics expert and business strategist with nearly two decades of experience. As co-founder and CEO of Nexus Data, Karl leads a team of internationally renowned data experts, helping organisations unlock value from their data assets.
Together with Zjaén Coetzee, an award-winning data, digital and business executive, they are the co-authors of “Drive RAPPID Results From Data”, a practical guide for business leaders who want to make the most of their data to generate growth.
