An important component of every business is commonly thought to lie in the details. For many, this means - the numbers. Today, we find it important to rationalize everything in mathematical, scientific and linear terms. Society constructed this security blanket, thinking the scientific mind would protect us. So I conducted a quick Internet search with the words, “Numbers don’t lie, but.” Here are some of the gems I found.
*Numbers don’t lie, but… From whence do my figures come?
*Numbers don’t lie, but they don’t always reveal the truth.
*Numbers don’t lie. But when it comes to Internet rankings, they may not tell the whole truth.
*Numbers Don’t Lie, But They Certainly Can Mislead!
*Numbers don’t lie, but they don’t volunteer anything either.
*The numbers don’t lie, but they do conceal part of the truth.
*Everyone knows that numbers don’t lie. But interpretations of numbers? Now that’s a different matter.
*Numbers don’t lie, but liars manipulate numbers.
*As the saying goes, numbers don’t lie but you can use them to tell just about any story you want.
*As a compromise, maybe its true that the numbers don’t lie,but the words people use to describe the numbers do.
*There is the old adage that numbers don’t lie, but what if you are looking at the wrong numbers?
*Numbers don’t lie, but what is inferred from them is almost always a distortion.
*It’s often said that “Numbers don’t lie”, but in this case the numbers do lie.
*Numbers don’t lie but they sure can tell a good story.
Yes, there is a false sense of security in numbers. Do I need to mention Madoff, Stratford . . .
Risk is attached to far ranging elements from poor communication, to numbers that lie, to poor discision making… Unfortunately, each is a silent problem with their own set of rules and peculiarities. Beware…
