Real Talk Roundup - December 16, 2025
When the data finally lines up, the next problem is action. These five pieces show how to turn clarity into movement.
Five recent posts on decision design, trust, and the quiet work that keeps “data-driven” from becoming theater. Each one sits where systems, standards, and leadership meet. The place where good numbers either turn into movement, or turn into reruns.
If you’re new here (welcome!) or just missed a week, here’s a curated set of the latest pieces. Short intros below… open what hits right now, bookmark the rest for when you’re ready.
1) Decision Trust: When Leaders Actually Believe the Numbers
Decision Design creates the decision moment. Decision Trust determines whether anyone will act inside it.
Brett W. Farmer
2) Across the Divide: The Quiet Work of Making Things Better
Innovation isn't a spark. It's the moment capability becomes curiosity.
Brett W. Farmer
3) Decision Design: When Dashboards Actually Drive Action
We say we want to be data driven, but a lot of dashboards never actually change anything.
Brett W. Farmer
4) Across the Divide: Standards in Motion
Why operation discipline becomes the engine of manufacturing innovation.
Brett W. Farmer
5) Data Done Right: The Journey to Possibility
Closing a chapter to begin another.
Brett W. Farmer
Want the TL;DR?
- Decision Trust is the willingness to act on a number without rebuilding it. If the first move is “rerun it,” trust is still leaking.
- Innovation on the floor usually shows up after the basics hold. Rhythm first, then creativity.
- Dashboards don’t fail because the charts are wrong. They fail because there’s no decision path wrapped around them.
- Standards are not red tape. They’re the trust contract that keeps a plant calm, and keeps modernization from snapping the invisible agreements that make work safe.
- When the fog finally lifts, possibility stops being inspirational. It becomes navigable, because the foundation is stable enough to support direction.
If one idea helped, share this roundup with someone who’s stuck in reruns, rebuilding the same number, or trying to create calm before they chase speed.
Real talk. Real strategy. Real results in digital transformation.
— Brett