Why Numbers

ByChuck McDanal

An absurd thing in my collection of absurd things is a retired safe from a bank ATM. I needed to move it to my new office, which meant rolling it down a ramp on a heavy-duty furniture dolly. Since I wasn’t sure how much weight I’d be holding back and whether it would crush me, I did a little math to calculate the force it would have given the weight and the incline (ignoring friction). The result was a low enough number that the plan could proceed. That’s using numbers in everyday life. Lots of these applications are automatic for many of us, such as comparing unit costs between items at the grocery. What we encourage here at Studio C, is a broader view of where numbers come in handy, and it’s just about everywhere if you open your perspective a bit. Let a standard deviation help you know whether something you’re looking at is typical or not. Let a simple regression help you know what’s likely to happen next given what’s already happened. These are easy to do and understand in Excel. So if you want to be the office wizard and predict sales numbers for the next month, let’s talk.

Chuck McDanal is the owner of StudioC and has more than 25 years of experience in a range of roles, from managing an IT department to working as an editor; from directing a large operation to leading an internet startup and creating a 501(c)(3) nonprofit from the ground up. He has extensive experience in process improvement, data analytics, coaching, mentoring, facilitation, strategic planning, managing and leading. Chuck also is a Certified Analytics Professional, an RRCA-certified running coach, has a certificate from the Wharton School in Business Analytics, is a Six Sigma Black Belt, and is a professional coffee roaster. He has served on multiple community boards and organizations, which currently includes the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra and Lakeland Vision. He is a graduate of Leadership Lakeland and Leadership Polk, and was Chair-elect of Leadership Lakeland Class 36 and Chair of Class 37. Chuck was named 2020 Businessman of the Year by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. He recently published a book called “Human Training,” which is available on Amazon and through other resellers.

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