Many organizations say they want to be data-driven, yet their own executives quietly bury the very initiatives that would make it possible.
It’s a silent killer of progress.
We see it every day in our consulting work.
The promise of AI and data-driven decision-making often crashes into executive resistance, leaving brilliant work and wasted potential behind.
Here’s a story that illustrates this perfectly.
A cautionary tale of strong intentions, smart data science, and a fatal lack of buy-in.
I call it the “The Executive Kill Switch”.
In my last corporate role, I had a mandate to digitize and automate the business and help it become data-driven.
We built a strategy, secured funding, and got to work.
Every month the executive team battled a long list of operational issues.
And every executive meeting stalled on the same topic: overdue account receivables.
We proposed a machine learning model to predict which invoices would go overdue.
Our data scientist built it in six weeks with 85% accuracy (iteration 1).
We wrapped it in a simple Power BI dashboard that let leaders instantly see which invoices carried the highest risk.
We brought the model, dashboard, and new business workflow to the executive table.
And it flopped. Badly.
Why?
Because the executive team wasn’t digitally savvy.
They couldn’t see the value.
Yet the solution was built to save time, reduced write-offs, create value based outcomes and would mean we could stop acting as our clients’ bank.
In a true data-driven culture, this would’ve been embraced and operationalized immediately.
The irony is harsh: an executive team paralyzed by a recurring problem rejected the solution engineered to eliminate it.
This isn’t about technology; it’s about leadership and the gap between ambition and behavior.
What executives must start doing:
1. Data Literacy Bootcamp
Mandatory training on data fundamentals and AI applications. Non-negotiable.
2. Executive Data Champions
Empower leaders who genuinely support data initiatives.
3. Focus on Outcomes, Not Jargon
Frame solutions in terms of revenue, savings, and risk reduction.
4. Create a Safe Space for Failure
Encourage experimentation and recognize that setbacks are part of the journey.
Which camp is your organization in?
The innovators harnessing data, or the unwitting architects of its graveyard?
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