We live in the age of Data and AI. Everyone talks about the might of Data, but Data Governance fails if it ignores the people behind it. Without a focus on people, it is just a little more than a mundane exercise of processes and costly tooling. At its heart, Data/AI Governance is not about platforms; it is about people.

People First: Lessons from Titanic and Saving Private Ryan

I have read much about the Titanic and its tragic sinking. I knew the facts well. But after reading Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember, the tale came alive. I saw then that the story was less about the ship and more about the people. I feel the same as World War II. History speaks of nations and strategy; Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan brings it back to the people.

Whether it’s a ship, a war, or a modern enterprise, the real story is always about the people.

What Matters Most To People

After defining six principles of responsible conduct, I paused and asked myself what truly matters. I realized that even if all my principles were followed, they would mean little without people at the center. That moment gave rise to my seventh principle – People matter most.

If people matter most, then the next question is simple: what matters most to people, and what moves them to act? Business problems often push me into philosophical thinking. My search for what matters most to people led me to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle is one of the greatest thinkers in the history of Western science and philosophy.

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics: Eudaimonia

Aristotle’s insights on happiness, in particular, remain strikingly relevant. What stays with me from the Nicomachean Ethics is how clearly he speaks about getting the best of ourselves, the best human life. This highest good, Aristotle concluded, is eudaimonia, often translated as happiness, but also understood as human flourishing or living well. While modern views suggest many paths to the best human life, Aristotle maintains that it is grounded in happiness.

The highest human good, the ultimate goal of all actions, is eudaimonia.

Aristotle believed true happiness (eudaimonia) is about flourishing, not just feeling good. Happiness is not something we are born with or gain by luck or learning alone. It grows through learning, habit, and steady effort. Without virtue, good feelings by themselves do not add up to true happiness.

Be Virtuous

Aristotle is asking us to improve ourselves and be virtuous. That gets us to our next question. What is virtue? It is a disposition to do the right thing at the right time. Aristotle believes that we are not born virtuous, but instead we all have the capacity to become virtuous. To become virtuous, one goes through a two-step process.

1. First, training and education build good habits by guiding us to repeat the right actions.
2. Second, we develop practical wisdom, which connects abstract knowledge with concrete action.
   
   

The virtues are learned and practiced through action

Aristotle argues that when these two work together, we begin to act rightly as a matter of habit, because we learn to think about ethics clearly, even in new or unfamiliar situations.

A Human Path for Data/ AI Governance

• People At The Heart: When happiness and virtue guide our approach, Data and AI Governance shifts from a costly burden to an effortless practice for the common good. By keeping people at the center, we align with executive vision, strengthen enterprise-wide communication, engage SMEs, and keep stakeholders informed. Ultimately, effective Data Governance is about working well with people to solve meaningful business problems.
• Knowledge Bank: Too often, we give out roles and tasks without the training or knowledge needed to do the work. People feel the burden. Aristotle’s virtue calls for training and education. We will focus on training programs that truly work to build these habits. We will develop a meaningful, easy-to-access knowledge bank that brings together policies, procedures, standards, glossaries, classifications, and dictionaries in one place.
• Adoption & Adoption: At its heart, which means helping people work with confidence, trust, and clarity. When people feel supported and trusted, they collaborate more, and that collaboration leads to better outcomes. Designing a Data and AI Governance framework with a focus on people’s happiness guarantees improving collaboration, reducing friction, building trust, and supporting everyday decision-making.
• Nurturing Happiness: Nurturing happiness promotes open communication. It helps us understand each other’s perspectives and encourages us to negotiate common ground. Our friendly, effortless approach builds confidence and reduces pushback. We usually call challenges “pain points,” but to me, they could just as well be called “unhappy” points.
• Best Version Of Us: Data Governance is about accountability and responsibility. When you strive for happiness, we will actively listen, ask the right questions, and collaborate closely with each other. Even when views differ, we will respect each other’s perspectives and work together around shared values for the greater good of the Data and AI Governance program.
• People Centric Metrics: Our metrics and KPIs stay people-centered, focusing on adoption, automation, and communication. At the heart of our people-centric philosophy is this belief: Progress comes not from technology or frameworks alone, but from the people who bring them to life and make them meaningful.
  
  

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear how you see happiness and virtue in everyday work-life.