HeyJaredPenguin Analytics
Improve your influence, polish your presence and frame with focus. This newsletter is for data pros who are done playing a support role and ready to get taken seriously. Rants, advice, thoughts and the occasional useful diagram included.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Aug 25, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 7, 2026
Latest issues
Jack of All Trades, Master of Confusion (opens the original)
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Last week I had one of those days. In every meeting, I felt like I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to know. It was back-to-back thirty minute calls on completely different subjects for like four hours straight. AI strategy, a vendor that wants to work with us, a backlog review, a cutover date for the reservations data migration, talent and workforce planning, reviewing a new dashboard for the revenue team, some business strategy.In every single one of those meetings, I felt like I needed t
Leading Has Nothing To Do With Who Reports To You (opens the original)
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Before we get to this week’s newsletter, I’d like to ask for your help. I’ve been sending these regularly for about eight months and it would mean a lot to me to get your feedback on the content. This is your chance to ask for more of something, less of something or suggest I switched to write nothing except stories about dragons. Here’s the link:Penguin Analytics Newsletter Feedback FormYou can also email me at John.Cook@PenguinAnalytics.io<spa
Everything is more complicated than it looks (opens the original)
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My old boss had a line she’d pull out every time I came to her complaining that something was harder than it should have been. “If it were easy, we’d have already solved it.”It wasn’t sympathy, and it wasn’t permission to complain longer. It was a redirect. The easy version of my problem was solved years ago by someone else. What’s left on my desk is left because it’s not easy.My team has been working on a project that’s basically analyzing groups of things to determine their effectiveness. On t
Work On The Analytics Function, Not In It. (opens the original)
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There’s a gas station near my house that I frequent because the owner is nice, has decent prices, and it’s on my way home. Every time I go in, he’s reliably inside somewhere. Usually behind the counter, but sometimes in the back, sometimes doing inventory, sometimes cleaning, sometimes restocking.The point is, he’s always there. In fact, I’ve never been there when he’s not. I’m sure even after they close he’s there catching up on the things he wasn’t able to get done.…Probably because I interrup
Why I’m Never First to Answer an Email (opens the original)
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The headline of this email is a lie because this week I want to talk about something I’m still not perfect at getting right.I used to treat my email like the start of a race. From when it arrived in my inbox, it was like a countdown timer started and I was trying to get an answer out as fast as possible. I was helpful, on top of things. It feels great… but being the fastest person to answer every question is one of the quickest ways to turn yourself and your team into a helpdesk.A colleague of m
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