# Telling People What to Do By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-01-16 What is the point of analysis if not to influence? Just as one writes a book or publishes a paper to convey an idea, entertain, or persuade the reader, an analyst analyzes to drive an outcome. The notion that analysts are unbiased has long been debunked, but analysts have held mainly onto the perception that their desires do not enter into the equation. In other words, one may be biased based on one's experiences, values, and beliefs, but one is largely indifferent to what happens. If one believes this is true, one is not honest with oneself. If one is indifferent, one should not perform any analysis at all. Just as an author with nothing to say says nothing. As an analyst, one publishes findings to influence. Even if one is paid to come to a particular conclusion, one is still influencing. Ignore this influence at one's own risk. Thus, when asked if analysts should run things, one cannot categorically say that they don't have some perspective on how things should be run. They may believe they shouldn't run things, but this is a parlor trick, as one wouldn't be an analyst if one didn't want something to be done differently. No amount of caveats and hand-waving statistical methods will suppress the intentionality of sharing ideas, which is how things change. One may not believe in Philosopher Kings, but one believes in something, and one, at the very least, is indirectly telling someone else what to do. Depending upon one's perspective, this is either very fortunate or a tragedy. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Leadership]] [[Influence]] [[Ideas]] [[Magic]] [[Distractions]] [[Philosophy]]