Yet another reason I like this time of year is it’s when the ‘Best of….” lists are published. I wonder every year, though, how the authors of these lists have any credibility left at all. They seem to always get it wrong. I mean, everyone knows The Suburbs by Arcade Fire was the best album of 2010, and Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes was the best book, right? Well, rather than getting worked up about the past, another end-of-year tradition, creating New Year’s resolutions, is something I personally find more productive. If you haven’t finished your list, I have a recommendation for you.

If you’re an athlete in almost any sport, you know how you’ll be measured.  In basketball, you have points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game.  Guys at the ‘skill’ positions in football know it’ll be yards per carry, catches, yards per pass attempt, and stuff like that. Baseball, my specialty, has been infused, or some would say overwhelmed, by a dramatic increase in the availability and use of statistics, such as VAR, WHIP, OBP, etc., to measure almost every nuance of the game (thank you Mr. Bill James!). That’s in addition to the standard batting averages, ERA, fielding percentage, etc.

Let’s say you’re an experienced EDI analyst, an expert mapper and a top-notch translator jockey. What are the career options for someone with your talents? Are you “stuck” in your current role, or are there other areas where you may be even more effective in your organization? Maybe surprisingly for you, but not for me, I think there are lots of opportunities out there for you. Read more...