What You Miss When You Focus on the Average

When making big decisions, we often turn to data for guidance. We look at average salaries to negotiate job offers, average home prices to gauge affordability, and average success rates to determine if a risk is worth taking. It feels logical after all, averages are meant to represent a typical outcome.

But what if the average is misleading?

Sharon Zicherman, a data deconstructor, challenges our reliance on averages, arguing that they often hide the real story. Whether in careers, finances, or personal choices, blindly following averages can lead us to make flawed decisions.

The Danger of the Average

Imagine you’re considering a new job offer. The company reports that the average employee earns $100,000. That sounds great until you learn that a handful of executives make millions while most employees earn closer to $60,000. The average, in this case, distorts reality.

Averages can create an illusion of stability where none exists. Consider life expectancy data. If the average lifespan in a country is 80 years, it doesn’t mean every individual will live to exactly 80. Factors like genetics, lifestyle, and healthcare access create huge variations, but the average flattens them into a single, often misleading, number.

Why We Need to Look Beyond the Mean

Instead of relying solely on averages, a smarter approach involves:

1. Looking at the Full Range– Instead of just the average, consider the highest and lowest outcomes. In job markets, for example, researching salary distributions rather than just the median can give a clearer picture of earning potential.
2. Understanding the Outliers– Sometimes, the most valuable insights come from extreme cases. If a few startups achieve massive success while most fail, studying both successes and failures provides more actionable lessons than just looking at the “average” outcome.
3. Assessing Your Personal Context– Data is useful, but only when applied to your unique situation. Averages don’t account for individual strengths, skills, or circumstances, so decisions should be tailored to your personal goals rather than just general trends.

Making Smarter Decisions

Whether you’re changing careers, making an investment, or choosing a life path, remember: the average is just one part of the story. True insight comes from digging deeper understanding the full range of possibilities, recognizing patterns, and applying data in a way that aligns with your own reality.

Next time you’re faced with a big decision, ask yourself: Am I relying on the average, or am I seeing the bigger picture? The difference could change everything.

How GPPC Can Support Your Organization to Move Beyond the Average:

1. Custom Compensation Benchmarking

• Instead of using standard industry averages, GPPC helps clients understand compensation spreadby:
  • Role seniority
  • Region
  • Performance levels
• This enables fairer, more competitive offers and better retention strategies.
  2. Personalized Talent Development Plans
• Averages don’t reflect individual growth needs.
• We design personalized learning journeys and development roadmaps aligned to capability gaps, aspirations, and potential not a one-size-fits-all program.
  3. Contextual DEIB Consulting
• Inclusion isn’t average it’s specific. We support clients in identifying where underrepresented voices are lost in averages(e.g., gender pay gaps, minority retention rates), and help design data-driven interventions.
  4. Smarter Pulse & Engagement Tools
• Our AI-driven engagement surveys don’t stop at “average engagement scores.” We dig into sentiment clusters, outliers, and emerging patterns, ensuring a more nuanced understandingof what people really feel and what’s driving that.
  5. Better Decision-Making for Leaders
• Through leadership coaching and org diagnostics, we equip leaders to:
  • Question surface metrics
  • Seek distribution curves, not just medians
  • Make strategic decisions grounded in deep insight, not misleading averages

At GPPC, we help organizations see beyond the average. If you’re ready to make smarter, more human-centered decisions through real insights, let’s talk.