Most executives, many scientists, and almost all business school graduates believe that if you analyze data, this will give you new ideas. Unfortunately, this belief is totally wrong. The mind can only see what it is prepared to see.

Summary

This quote suggests that analyzing data alone does not necessarily lead to the generation of new ideas. Many executives, scientists, and business school graduates hold the misconception that data analysis automatically brings about innovative insights. However, the quote highlights the limitations of this perspective by emphasizing that the mind can only perceive what it is already primed to understand. In other words, preconceptions and biases can hinder our ability to see beyond the patterns and information that we are familiar with, thereby inhibiting the birth of truly novel ideas.