In the second half of our conversation with retired CEO Rod Hightower, John and Mark dig deeper into what it means for an executive to trust data. Rod shares hard-earned lessons about recognizing bias, understanding what information actually represents, building trust between business and data professionals, and knowing when to say, "I don't know." We also explore the very real cost of getting data wrong.

An old friend visits the Bit Bucket and meets some new friends that may already seem familiar. And, of course, we have the 8-Bit Consultants, Data Poetry Slam, and best of all, Rod plays our Famous Game Show.

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• Applied Data Governance Certification | DATAVERSITY

Chapters:

00:00 – The Bit Bucket - Part 2; 05:53 – Monologue; 08:04 – Rod Hightower, Part 2; 49:14 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 51:20 – Audio Data Rorschach Test; 53:26 – The 8-Bit Consultants; 54:53 – Data Poetry Slam; 55:26 – Recap & Close

What does a CEO really need from data? In this episode, John and Mark sit down with retired CEO Rod Hightower to explore the business side of the data table. Rod talks about the importance of truth and insight, the biases that can get in the way of both, and why data professionals need to understand the business they support.

We also visit the Bit Bucket, a bar that will serve up an Old Bandersnatch bourbon and lend an ear when it seems nobody understands you. Favorite sketches like the 8-Bit Consultants and the Data Poetry Slam return, as well as, by popular request, our original sponsor! Finally, we kick off a new series of Dispatches from Rock Bottom exploring what AI will, and will never, do.

Be sure to visit DATAVERSITY where you can use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase!!

• DATAVERSITY Training Center
• Live Classes
• Applied Data Governance Certification | DATAVERSITY

Chapters:

00:00 – The Bit Bucket; 05:06 – Monologue; 07:45 – Rod Hightower, Part 1; 51:09 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 53:15 – The 8-Bit Consultants; 54:14 – Data Poetry Slam; 55:36 – Recap & Close

What happens when you empty the refrigerator of everything that didn’t quite make it into the last series of the Rock Bottom Data Feed? You make stew. This compilation episode serves up the leftovers from Series 4: behind-the-scenes production conversations, outtakes, extended conversations with guests, and a few stories that were simply too good to leave on the cutting-room floor.

We revisit the history of Bradshaw’s Guide and the surprisingly contentious business of railway timetables, explore what data management looks like from perspectives outside the traditional data world, and dig into a bigger question that has been a recurring theme of the podcast: data is about people, society, and the ways technology changes how we live. There’s also a fascinating discussion about turning data into sound, the human consequences of data breaches, and why every row in a database may represent somebody’s life, experience, or secret.

And then there’s the other stuff.

Production sausage-making. Southern farewells. LEGO. A few questionable jokes. And one particularly memorable Victorian-era concern about the effect of high-speed rail travel on the human anatomy.

In other words, everything you might expect from the Rock Bottom Data Feed when nobody is watching the clock.

Series 4 is officially in the refrigerator. Series 5 is ready to cook.

Be sure to visit DATAVERSITY where you can use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase!!

• DATAVERSITY Training Center
• Live Classes
• Applied Data Governance Certification | DATAVERSITY

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction; 02:17 – Extras and Outtakes; 38:01 – Recap & Close