The Confidence to Act is a data governance book by Karima Makrof, published April 2026. Thirty reflections on what makes data governance work in practice, and what causes it to break.
New Release — April 2026
The Confidence to Act
30 Reflections on Data Governance: What Breaks and What Holds
Not another framework. Thirty reflections drawn from practice, exploring the moments where data governance either quietly works or quietly breaks down.
Why this book
Most organisations do not struggle with data because they lack tools.
They struggle because, even when data is available, decisions still hesitate.
The question that keeps coming back, across industries and roles, is quieter than most governance literature admits: can we trust our data enough to act on it?
This book explores that question through real situations, the kind that do not appear in frameworks but show up every week in practice. Moments where governance either holds under pressure, or quietly breaks.
It does not offer another implementation guide. It offers thirty reflections that help you see what is actually happening, and why.
What you will find
Practice, not theory.
- Why ownership breaks down even when everyone agrees it matters
- How data quality becomes a behavior problem, not a technical one
- What makes governance embed into everyday work, rather than sit beside it
- The patterns that repeat across organisations, industries, and roles
- How to connect governance to decisions that actually get made
Not a framework. Not a checklist.A way to understand what makes governance hold when pressure rises, and what causes it to break when it should not.
Who it is for
Written for the people doing this work.
Executives and decision-makers
If you rely on data to make decisions and you are not always sure you can trust it, this book explains what is getting in the way and why structure alone will not fix it.
CDOs and data leaders
If you are responsible for governance but find it harder to embed than to design, these reflections will feel familiar. They come from the same situations you are navigating.
Data, analytics, and governance teams
If you work inside these programs day to day, this book gives language and perspective for the challenges that do not come with an answer in the documentation.
About the book
Thirty moments. Six themes.
Each chapter reflects on one practical situation that organisations actually face, drawn from two decades of practice across sectors.
Some chapters are about structure: ownership, roles, and processes. Some are about behavior: trust, communication, and responsibility. All of them connect to the same underlying question.
Read one chapter a day, straight through, or open to the situation that matches what you are facing right now. The sequence is an invitation, not a requirement.
Structure
Six parts. Thirty reflections.
- 1Why Data Governance MattersFoundation, ownership, data quality, cost of bad data
- 2Building a Strong FoundationRoles, policies, standards, metadata, communication
- 3Avoiding Common PitfallsComplexity traps, compliance gaps, alignment failures
- 4Embedding Governance in PracticeTraining, tools, change, cross-functional governance
- 5Connecting Governance to Business ValueStrategic alignment, ROI, executive buy-in, AI readiness
- 6Building a Resilient FutureAdaptability, continuous improvement, long-term impact
Foreword
Data governance is not about control. It is about enabling confidence.
“What makes this book particularly valuable is its accessibility. It is not written only for seasoned practitioners, but for anyone trying to understand data management and governance. Honest, immersive, and easy to engage with.”
What practitioners are saying
Voices from the field
“She has developed a book around solving issues that impact confidence in data. Without that confidence, people are second-guessing their decisions, or worse, failing to act at all.”
Merrill Albert
Data Evangelist
“Karima is someone who gets it. She has worked tirelessly in data governance and shares her experiences to help others learn and take responsibility for their data.”
Robert S. Seiner
President and Principal, KIK Consulting and Educational Services
About the author
Two decades of practice. One book.
Get your copy
Available now in three formats
ISBN 9798898160883
Kindle
ISBN 9798898160890
ISBN 9798898160906
Also available on other Amazon regional stores. Search for The Confidence to Act by Karima Makrof.
Work with AKLYON
If this resonates, let us talk.
AKLYON Consulting AB helps executives, CDOs, and data teams turn governance into a practical way of working that holds under real pressure, not just on paper.