#32 Dean Boxall - reflections on elite targets and high levels of care
Release Date: 02/19/2025
#52 Why we need to separate decision quality from outcomes
Make Data Talk
In this week's episode, Dr Selena Fisk explores data-informed decision making, outcome bias, and hindsight bias, and explains why a disappointing results do not always mean the original decision was wrong. This episode is for professionals and leaders who want to make better decisions, reflect more effectively, and learn how to separate decision quality from decision outcomes when navigating uncertainty, complexity, and change.
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#51 The leadership team sport behind data-informed culture
Make Data Talk
In this episode, Dr. Selena Fisk explores data-informed culture and the leadership alignment required to make it stick. She breaks down why middle leaders and middle management can’t carry data culture change alone, and why executive sponsorship and middle leader follow-through are essential if an organisation wants data to genuinely shape decisions. Listeners will learn what strong leadership alignment looks like between senior and middle leaders, how misalignment quietly stalls change management, and the practical signals that shift data-informed work from a project into “the way we...
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#50 Stop letting Excel choose your charts for you
Make Data Talk
In this episode of Make Data Talk, Dr. Selena Fisk breaks down why “recommended charts” and default visualisations often hide the real story in your data... and what to do instead. You’ll learn how Microsoft Excel’s chart choices can unintentionally mislead your audience, distract from your message, or make insights harder to see, especially when you’re presenting to leaders, clients, or time-poor teams. If you’ve ever wondered: why your chart feels “technically correct” but still confusing what makes a chart persuasive, not just pretty how to avoid common Excel...
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#49 What if you have an epic data story but you're worried people in the meeting won't get it?
Make Data Talk
Most data storytelling advice focuses on the analysis: choosing the right data, selecting the best charts, and building compelling visuals. But in real organisations, the hardest part is often what happens after the analysis — when you have to share the data in a meeting. In this episode, Dr. Selena Fisk explores why data conversations can break down in mixed-skill meetings, where some people speak fluently in metrics, others think in outcomes, and some are quietly trying to interpret the chart (or work out whether what they’re seeing is “right”). Without designing for this reality,...
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#48 Your data strategy and data plan are two different things - get both!
Make Data Talk
In this episode of Make Data Talk, Dr. Selena Fisk breaks down the critical difference between a data strategy and a data plan, and why confusing the two is quietly undermining data-informed decision making in many organisations. Too often, leaders believe they have a data strategy when what they actually have is a collection of dashboards, reporting tools, or technology roadmaps. But a true data strategy defines why data matters, and how it creates value. A data plan, on the other hand, clarifies what data is used, by whom, when, and what responsibility sits behind it. If you care...
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#47 Your data dashboard IS NOT a data story
Make Data Talk
Most dashboards look impressive. They’re packed with metrics, trends, and filters, and yet they still leave people asking, “So what?” In this episode of Make Data Talk, Dr. Selena Fisk unpacks why a data dashboard is not a data story (and why confusing the two leads to stalled decisions, misaligned teams, and “insight” that never turns into action). You’ll learn the critical importance of meaning-making, how to move from reporting to narrative, and the value in leaders translating charts into clarity. If you’re a leader, analyst, or anyone responsible for communicating data,...
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#46 Data literacy has very little to do with maths ability
Make Data Talk
“I’m not a numbers person” is one of the most common and most limiting beliefs holding people back from engaging with data. In this episode, Dr Selena Fisk challenges the widespread assumption that data literacy is about maths ability. She explains why modern data work has very little to do with calculations and everything to do with interpretation, critical thinking, and decision-making. You’ll learn what data literacy actually means in today’s organisations, why equating it with numeracy excludes capable leaders and professionals, and how this misunderstanding narrows data...
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#45 You don't have a data problem - you have a confidence or skills problem
Make Data Talk
Many leaders believe their organisation has a data problem... not enough data, not the right dashboards, not the right systems. In this episode, I unpack why that’s rarely the real issue. Instead, most organisations are grappling with a skills or confidence problem. People are surrounded by data but don’t feel equipped or safe to ask questions, interpret what they see, or use data once decisions have been made. We explore what leaders often misunderstand about data capability, how well-intentioned investments in tools can backfire, and what actually builds confidence and better...
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#44 What data people can learn from yogis
Make Data Talk
Ever wondered what data and yoga have in common? At first, they seem like two very different ideas, but dig a little deeper and you start to see there is much yoga can teach us about data. In this episode, Dr Selena Fisk reflects on the completion of her yoga teacher training and five things it's taught her about data culture in our organisations. Connect with Selena at https://www.linkedin.com/in/selenafisk/
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#43 Discovery visuals - the creative process BEFORE you show your charts to others
Make Data Talk
Do you brainstorm and plan out your data visualisations before you present them to others? In this episode, Dr Selena Fisk talks about the idea of discovery visuals, and the process for getting the best visualisation for the data story you want to tell. Connect with Selena at https://www.linkedin.com/in/selenafisk/
info_outlineWho remembers the infamous hip gyrating, truly visceral celebration Dean Boxall, coach of the Australian swimming team, gave at the Tokyo Olympics after Ariarne Titmus won gold in the 400m freestyle? Well it turns out, listening to him give a keynote address is even more inspiring.
In this episode, Dr Selena Fisk reflects on Dean Boxall's coaching style and what elite level coaches can teach us about leadership, measuring progress and showing high levels of care for the people in our teams.
Connect with Selena:
- at https://www.linkedin.com/in/selenafisk/
- sign up to her monthly newsletter at selenafisk.com
- check out her other podcast, 'A Beautiful Mind'.