Everyday Data, Meaningful Insight

Fill in the blank: We don’t have __________ data.

The right?
Enough?
Any?

Whether I’m working with a single organization or a collective, I hear this statement often. On one end of the continuum, organizations can feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data, assessments, reports, and recommendations that exist within their organization and community. That abundance can actually create doubt—leaving them unsure whether they have the right data or enough of it. On the other end of the continuum, organizations may feel underwhelmed, struggling to identify the most meaningful data point, the right audience to communicate with, or the story that should be told. In this case, the perceived lack of data can leave them feeling like they don’t have enough—or any data—at all.

So, in episode #95 of We don’t have __________ data, let’s look at how an organization in southeast Georgia used pre-existing information to learn key lessons about themselves, how they work, and how they could do better.

📝 Job descriptions. Most organizations have these formal documents that outline a position’s title, essential roles and responsibilities, required and preferred skills and qualifications, and working conditions, benefits, and salaries. Job descriptions are multi-purpose, serving as a tool for recruitment, performance management, and legal compliance.

Beyond these typical uses, job descriptions can also serve as an insightful data source. From a strategic planning perspective, they reveal how an organization understands its identity and purpose. While working with an organization in southeast Georgia to examine their identify and clarify their long-term direction, we analyzed job descriptions to better understand what the organization was communicating—intentionally or not—about itself and its work. Several key insights emerged:

📝 Job descriptions:

• 🚫 Did not include the organization’s vision or mission

• 🚫 Most did not include a preferred or required ability to work with kids (the organization was child-centered)

• 🚫 Did not include shared values or beliefs

• ✅ Did include education and experience requirements and preferences (a low-barrier employment organization with training and education opportunities)

• ✅ Most did include key differentiators of how they work

We shared these insights with the organization to show what their job descriptions were already saying—often unknowingly—about who they are and how they work. Together, we explored how those messages were aligned, where they could be stronger, and how small shifts could better reflect their long-term direction and help attract the right people in the future. In this case, job descriptions became an unexpected but powerful data source—proof that they did have data, and that the right data, at the right moment, can help clarify identity, purpose, and direction.