It’s Not the Data, It’s You
- Rick Pollick
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
It’s Not the Data, It’s You: How Product & Project Leaders Need to Think Like Apple
To the point: executives, investors, and leadership teams don’t have a data problem. They have an interpretation problem.
The dashboards, reports, KPIs, and analytics are all right there. Yet, how often do we hear this?
“We don’t have the data we need to make a decision.”
The truth? They do have it. They just don’t know where to find it, how to understand it, or what to do with it.
And that’s where you come in.
If you’re in product or project management, your job isn’t just to track data—it’s to serve it up in a way that leadership can actually use. And if you do it right? You’ll set yourself apart as someone who gets it.
What Apple Can Teach Us About Data Presentation
Apple isn’t the biggest tech company in the world because their products are technically superior.
Most flagship Windows laptops outperform MacBooks on raw specs. Android phones often have better hardware than iPhones. But Apple still dominates.
Why?
Because Apple makes everything easy.
Their products just work—no overcomplicated settings or confusing interfaces.
They don’t make you dig through menus to find what you need.
They focus on the experience rather than the technical details.
Now think about how most teams present data:
Confusing dashboards with too much noise
Spreadsheets that feel like an Excel nightmare
Reports that bury insights under walls of text
Sound familiar?
The data itself isn’t the problem. Just like how having the best processor doesn’t guarantee a great laptop, having good data doesn’t mean it’s useful.
What sets great product and project leaders apart? They make insights effortless.
How to Serve Up Data Like Apple
If you want to be the person who makes leadership’s life easier (and gets noticed for it), you need to rethink how you obtain and present data. Here’s how:
Stop Dumping Numbers—Start Curating Insights
Executives don’t have time to wade through every data point. They need the right ones, in a way that’s fast and actionable.
Summarize key takeaways instead of drowning people in details.
Highlight trends, patterns, and impacts—help them see the big picture.
Frame the data around decisions. Don’t just say what’s happening; say what to do about it.
For example, instead of:
“User engagement dropped by 5% this month.”
Try this:
“Engagement dipped 5%, likely due to confusion with our new onboarding. We recommend adjusting messaging and tracking impact over the next two weeks.”
See the difference? One is just a stat. The other is an insight plus a next step.
Further reading: How Data Storytelling Enables Data-Driven Decision Making
Make Data as Easy to Consume as Checking an iPhone
Imagine if you had to go through three menus just to check the time on your phone. Annoying, right?
That’s how most companies treat data—forcing people to dig through endless dashboards, reports, and spreadsheets.
Your goal? Make data consumption frictionless.
Use visuals that tell a story—simple trend lines, key stats, and summaries.
Limit the number of data points at a time. More is not always better.
Make reports skimmable—bold key numbers, color-code, and highlight changes.
If a leader needs more than 30 seconds to get the key takeaway from your report? It’s too complicated.
Check this out: 5 Data Visualization Best Practices
Push Key Insights Instead of Making Leadership Hunt for Them
Apple doesn’t make you go into settings to check your notifications. They push them to you.
Your leadership team shouldn’t have to “go find” important data. Bring it to them.
Automate alerts & updates—send out regular KPI snapshots.
Deliver insights in the tools they already use (Slack, email, Notion, Jira).
Make dashboards a last resort—if leadership has to go looking for data, they probably won’t.
Frame Data in a Way That Drives Decisions
Apple doesn’t sell iPhones by listing processor speeds and RAM. They sell:
"The best camera on a smartphone."
"A battery that lasts all day."
"The most secure mobile device."
They focus on outcomes.
When you present data, do the same. Instead of:
“Churn rate increased from 2.1% to 3.5%.”
Try this:
“Customer churn increased by 65% last quarter, likely due to confusion over new pricing. We recommend A/B testing different pricing tiers to reduce cancellations.”
See what happened? The second version gives leadership exactly what they need to make a decision.
Why This Matters for Product & Project Leaders
When you prioritize clarity, accessibility, and storytelling, everything changes:
Faster, Smarter Decision-Making – No more back-and-forth trying to “figure out the numbers.”
More Engagement with Data – When it’s easy to consume, leadership actually uses it.
Better Business Outcomes – When insights lead to smarter decisions, everyone wins.
Making data easy to engage with isn’t just a nice-to-have.
It’s your competitive edge—for your company, your team, and your career.
Final Thoughts: Be the Apple of Your Organization
The best product and project leaders don’t just manage data—they curate it.
Like Apple, they prioritize usability over complexity. They frame information in a way that inspires action.
So, next time an executive says, “We don’t have the data we need,” challenge that assumption.
They probably do. They just don’t know how to reach it.
It’s not the data. It’s you.
If you want to stand out in your career and help leadership make better decisions faster, start presenting data the Apple way.
