Arts and hearts

Harvard is the oldest university in America, founded in 1636. Of Harvard’s twelve grad schools, the largest is the College of Arts and Science, offering advanced degrees in 56 disciplines.

The spreadsheet was born in 1962.

It was called “Business Computer Language,” and R. Brian Walsh created the basic framework on an IBM at Marquette University.

By 1976, IBM had adapted the framework and renamed it the IBM Financial Planning and Control System. They rolled out their early version of spreadsheets for commercial use in at least 30 countries.

In 1985, Microsoft released Excel, and the rest is history. Microsoft has since released 28 more versions of Excel over the last 35 years, each version more sophisticated than the last. Macros. Conditional formatting. Pivot tables.

Today, spreadsheets are everywhere.

We have more power than ever to organize, process, and analyze data. And yet, we still make decisions with our gut.

Houses, spouses, pets, careers.

Sometimes we even create spreadsheets to support a decision we’ve already made.

The heart wants what the heart wants.

Data is a foundation. If our job is to sell something or influence others, we need to be armed with data. But anecdotes and stories matter too. Sometimes more. Usually more.

As we listen to stories, our brain waves actually start to synchronize with those of the storyteller.

Spreadsheets are powerful tools for analyzing and communicating complicated ideas. But they can’t synchronize brain waves.

University curriculums emphasize arts and science. Military campaigns are designed to win hearts and minds. In each example, notice which word comes first.

Data is a good place to start, but it’s not enough.