When action takes place without evidence, based on bias and assumption, or merely indifference; seeing incontrovertible facts presented in a compelling format can kickstart a change in behaviour.

That’s what Florence Nightingale achieved when she sent a copy of “Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency, and Hospital Administration of the British Army” to Queen Victoria.

There were undoubtedly many more facts Nightingale could have observed.  The height of patients, their propensity to swear, their educational attainment, their places of birth.

But those facts weren’t what mattered to her.   What mattered was how many were dying unnecessarily.

Data is increasingly easy to collect.   Resist the temptation to use it all.  Decide which facts matter to your business and measure those.

That way you’ll have a better chance of changing the right behaviours.