Making Better Decisions in a Fast-Moving Industry
with Maria Real

I get to pair my love of numbers with the energy of creatives building live experiences that genuinely move people. My role is to translate spreadsheets into clear guardrails that let artists and producers take smart swings, so the show can go on—safely and profitably.

As senior leadership puts it, “Our job is not to control the crazy, but to empower them and keep them out of trouble.” If we do that well, the math becomes a catalyst for moments that audiences remember for years.

I’m at a point in my career where I want to elevate from expert operator to next-level financial leader. Taking Leading in a Data-Driven World: Developing Quantitative Intuition™ as part of Columbia’s Chief Financial Officer Program was a deliberate step to sharpen how I frame problems, separate signal from noise, and turn analysis into clear recommendations that move the business forward.

With data flooding in from countless tools and automations, the bottleneck isn’t collection—it’s judgment and synthesis. What my team needs most is to build stronger analytical muscles: framing problems clearly, narrowing to the few analyses that matter, and converting findings into actionable recommendations.

That shift allows us to make bigger, faster decisions with clarity and confidence—without getting lost in the noise.

I wasn’t sure what to expect—perhaps something more academic—but was pleasantly surprised by how actionable it was. The program provided practical tools that can be applied immediately to create a clearer path from analysis to action.

Two things stood out. First, how quickly the group inhabited its roles—assigned at random—and within minutes we had a de facto leader, a physician, an environmentalist, and more. Second, despite individual incentives that sometimes conflicted with the group’s objectives, the instinct was still to do what benefited the whole.

A kind of innate altruism surfaced, pushing us to coordinate and collaborate, even under pressure. It was a great reminder that shared purpose accelerates decision-making and builds trust faster than any process alone.

Synthesis. As an accountant communicating financials to non-finance stakeholders, I now lead with the recommendation first—then present only the supporting facts and context. That shift has changed how I structure conversations, share information, and drive decisions.

The cohort spanned industries and continents, and that diversity was invaluable. Hearing how leaders in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East frame risk and lead teams broadened my worldview. The biggest insight was that despite different industries and cultures, we share the same goal: make better decisions in a volatile world, and overcome the similar barriers that stand in the way.

My team is fairly junior, so I’m building a culture where questions are expected, not feared. We’ve started adopting Precision Questioning to frame problems, beginning with, “What decision are we making?” and using IWIK—“I wish I knew…”—to surface gaps in our understanding.

The message is simple: asking questions isn’t a weakness; it’s the work. I only wish I’d learned this earlier in my career.

It’s still early days since finishing the program, but my goal is to turn a spark into a fire—spreading better decision tools across the organization. As AI reshapes every function, the ability to make sound, fast, and confident decisions is becoming our competitive advantage.

That more data equals better decisions. In reality, problem framing and judgment determine the speed and quality of actions. The goal isn’t to have the most dashboards—it’s to know which questions matter most.

I’d encourage senior leaders to trust their doubt instead of their gut. Doubt is a powerful leadership asset—it keeps us curious, invites better questions, and tempers overconfidence.

Make it safe for teams to ask questions. Trade perfect answers for timely, well-reasoned decisions. Tell the story, don’t just share the numbers. And treat new AI tools as force multipliers, not replacements for human judgment. With that full Quantitative Intuition mindset, leaders can become braver and smarter about their decisions.

I wouldn’t change the experience—I’d double down on it. I’d lean even harder into peer debate and Precision Questioning within the cohort, because the learning multiplied when diverse perspectives challenged my assumptions.

A hands-on playbook for deciding with incomplete information.