Walk the Catwalk (Go See the Work, Don't Just Read Reports)
The Problem
You're a data leader. You get status reports: "Pipeline is running fine," "Dashboards deployed successfully," "Users are happy." Everything looks good on paper. Then you randomly check a dashboard in production—it takes 45 seconds to load. You ask a business user how they use your platform—they pull out an Excel spreadsheet. "Your portal is too slow, so I just export and work in Excel." You had no idea. The reports said everything was fine because people reported what you wanted to hear, not reality. It's like a manufacturing exec who never walks the factory floor—they never see the jammed machine, the pile of defects, the unsafe workaround. Leaders who don't inspect the work in production are managing fantasy, not reality.
The Principle
Walk the catwalk. Manufacturing term: executives regularly walk the production floor (catwalk), watching work happen, talking to operators, spotting problems. Apply to data: randomly open your dashboards as if you're a user. Try searching for data in your catalog. Sit with an analyst and watch them work. Ask business users to show you how they use your solutions. The magic happens when you see reality, not filtered reports. You'll discover: Dashboards are slow. Naming is confusing. Workarounds everywhere. Users frustrated. None of this shows up in status reports. Weekly catwalk walks reveal more truth than monthly status meetings. Go see, go do—don't just read about it.
3 Steps to Take Action
**Schedule Weekly Catwalk Walks** Block 2 hours weekly: "Catwalk Friday" (or whatever day). Plan: - Week 1: Use a random dashboard as if you're an end user - Week 2: Try searching data catalog for common terms - Week 3: Sit with an analyst, watch them work for 30 min - Week 4: Ask a business user to show how they use your platform Rotate through different areas monthly. Key rule: Do NOT tell people you're coming. You want to see reality, not a demo.
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