The Data Daily
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The main thing that skews up decision-making
Do you want to be an invaluable data leader? Build connections with industry peers? Get mentored and coached by experts?
Registration for the Data Leadership cohort close this week. Register now!
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It’s not data quality.
data visualization choices
or a lack of data literacy
It’s incentives.
If you want data driven decisions, than you have to address the primary barrier to those decisions. Incentives are a crucial part of being able to make good decisions.
What are good incentives? It’s when people are rewarded for the right things and not rewarded for the wrong things
If I’m terrified of making a mistake because people get fired for making mistakes, I’m incentivized to NOT make an intentional choice (passive or ignore decisions)
If my compensation is heavily tied to making quota and sales this month, I’m incentivized to sign deals that help me hit my number right now, but are long term bad fits and end up leaving angry customers.
If I have departmental budget that expires at the end of the month and I have to spend it or disappears then I’m incentivized to make a (potentially) quick decision.
Incentives can skew all parts of your decision making process. It can mess up which outcome you are striving for, it can alter how much time you spend on a decision, it can shape what information you look at, etc.
This is a dramatically under-discussed topic.
Because incentives show up everywhere in our modern company.
The company politics that everyone complains about are fundamentally about incentives.
You can’t make good decisions without good incentives.
Want to enable data-driven decision in your organization? Look beyond data quality and whether to choose a pie chart or bar chart (you should choose bar chart btw) and look at the real driving force beyond decisions.
I’m here,
Sawyer
Making promises.
If you missed the live event Friday afternoon- you can still catch the replay: High Performing Data Teams: From Architecture to Analytics
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The other day I asked you, “What’s your promise to the business?”
As a data team, what is the business expecting from you?
You had some thoughtful answers. Here’s the one thing that is clear: your work as the leader of a data team gets far easier when you have clarity about this question.
You know how to handle conflicting requests from leadership.
You can see the best way to communicate new budget requests.
You have tools for prioritizing data projects.
You can receive criticism and critique with a thoughtful perspective.
You can clearly say This is what we are here for.
And it lets other distractions fall aside.
We aren’t ticket-takers
We are analysts who shape business outcomes
We aren’t report builders.
We are integrated data into decision making.
It let’s you cast a clear vision of how what others can expect of your team.
Your promise to the business is your north star.
An anchor. An identity.
To give you clarity when you need it about yourself.
And when other’s need clarity about you.
I’m here,
Sawyer
A data team that thrives at architecture and analytics
Do you want a data team that thrives and excels at architecture and analytics?
Today, I’m hosting a free live event on Linkedin at 3 pm ET: High Performing Data Teams - From Architecture to Analytics.
I’ll be joined by my friends and industry experts James Serra (O’Reilly Author and Architect at Microsoft) and Ahmad Chamy (Power BI Trainer and Consultant).
We will be taking audience Q&A so make sure to join us live to get your questions answers.
In addition to Q&A, here are some other topics on the agenda:
Centralizing vs Decentralizing data analytics and data architectures.
What is a mature data architecture? How do you know if you have one?
How do you measure or assess the maturity of your analytics and business intelligence?
What are some helpful ways to think about hiring analytics and BI talent?
Can you have a successful data architecture on-prem now days? In what cases would you build something new on-prem?
What are the newest or most innovative architectures we hear or see people building?
What are some best practices for communicating data via dashboards and reports? How do data teams design better UI/UX data experiences?
Will you join us?
It’s great to see you today,
Sawyer
[Podcast] Designing Data for humans, creativity, and storytelling
Hey data leader,
A quick thing you need to know about. Tomorrow, I’m hosting a free Webinar Live Stream: High Performing Data Teams: From Architecture to Analytics
Friday ,Sept 27th: 3pm Eastern time
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Just dropped!
In the latest episode of Making Data Matter, Troy Dueck and I talk with guest Matt Brodie- Data Storyteller at Power to Change
You will learn about:
- How to apply design thinking to data work.
- What are ways you can bring art and creativity to technology.
- Why you should integrate different disciplines into your data thinking.
- How to design data tools with human experience in mind.
and more.
Listen in: thedatashop.co/mdm
I’m here,
Sawyer
The industry is longing for data leaders
Hey data leader,
Quick thing you need to know about. I’m hosting a free Webinar Live Stream: High Performing Data Teams: From Architecture to Analytics
Friday ,Sept 27th: 3pm Eastern time
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The industry is longing for data leaders.
Let’s be real. It’s a hard job market out there. Budgets tightening, headcount shrinking, and way too many candidates for each job. Leadership roles are especially scarce!
How do you grow into an in-demand data leader? What is the industry desperate for?
Leaders who are capable strategically and technically.
Leaders who understand organizational challenges are objective-centric, and true partners with the business.
Leaders who can build thriving tech stacks.
I'm trying to meet this need in the best way I know how. By gathering smart, capable, kind, and creative people in a room for a few hours a week.
We call it a cohort.
A Technical and Strategic Data Leader cohort.
❌ Not just a technical training course (those are everywhere).
✅Focused on the integration and intersection of business and technology for Data Leaders.
❌Not just content.
✅A learning experience focused on collaboration and conversation with industry peers and mentors.
❌Not just another webinar.
✅Over 8 weeks, you will have focused conversations about Data Team strategy, Business Intelligence, Data Architecture, and Data Leadership.
❌No getting lost in a crowd
✅With an intentionally small cohort size and individual workshop experiences, each cohort participant has abundant space for questions, dialogue, and applying the content to their situation.
We are launching our 3rd cohort Oct 8th.
Limited seats.
I’m here,
Sawyer
You don’t have to be alone
What do these things all have in common?
Therapists, counselors, and coaches.
Networking event at the local Chamber of Commerce
Potluck lunches after a religious service.
Meetups for board games, hiking, yoga, or book club
The Buddy Bench at elementary school recess.
They exist so we aren’t alone. Or if we are alone, they make sure we don’t have to stay that way.
Because feeling alone sucks.
Do you feel alone in your work as a data leader?
You wonder:
Are my challenges unique to me?
Does anyone face the same frustrations that I do?
I’m not sure I know what I’m doing. I’m probably the only one.
Who else could understand what I’m going through?
Maybe I’m not cut out for this.
Is this normal?
These are the things I hear from data leaders every week in my inbox.
You don’t have peers inside your company to talk with. No one who understands both the technical side and strategic side of your work.
What happens when you can finally connect with peers?
You no longer feel alone.
Others can empathize with your experiences
You feel more confident about your skills and work.
You know where to go for support when you need it.
You realize you, your challenges, and your frustrations are normal.
The Technical and Strategic Data Leader is built for you.
So you don’t feel alone.
Here’s what a cohort participant from the last session said:
“The biggest value of this experience was connecting with other data leaders that have either been through the things I am currently dealing with or are currently sharing the same struggle”
Community. Confidence. Empathy. Connection.
This is why we are opening up a third cohort for you this fall. For 8 weeks starting Oct 8th and ending Nov 26th, join an intensive learning experience with industry peers.
Registration is open now. Seats are limited.
I’m here,
Sawyer
What is your promise to the business?
Just a question for you today.
As a data team, what is your promise to the business?
Think about…
What is your executive expecting from you?
What do the business teams count on you for?
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Hit reply and tell me about it.
It was good to see you today,
Sawyer
Trusting people’s good intentions
When good intentions conflict with incentives....always expect the incentives to win.
It can feel noble to trust others to make the right choice. And trust their good intentions will win out. But if it leads you to ignore the incentives at play, you are destined to fail.
Here’s how incentives work.
Every group of people has methods for how people are rewarded. The reward might be status, control, power, money, title, safety, affirmation, or ease. Your team is constantly rewarding people with these things and more. Your team is constantly striving for these things.
Incentives are about how your team explicitly or implicitly gives people those rewards. A few of these are obvious to everyone. Show up to work, do you work, and get a paycheck. But a lot of incentives hide under the surface. Nearly every interaction your team has with each other or their work is governed by the incentives available.
Good incentives mean your team is rewarded for virtuous actions - the behaviors your want.
Bad incentives mean your team is rewarded for negative actions - the behaviors you don’t want.
Couldn’t we just trust people to do the right thing?
Here’s the thing.
Ignoring the incentives at play and trusting people to act virtuously is dangerous path. When good intentions are in conflict with incentives....always expect the incentives to win.
If your team (unknowingly) rewards people who backstab and manipulate to get credit, that behavior will flourish. The virtuous people who refuse to play that game will leave.
If your team rewards people who work the longest hours to the detriment of their personal health or quality of life, that behavior will increase. And the people who refuse to live for work only will quit.
On and on it goes.
Incentives will guide your team far more than intentions.
I’m here,
Sawyer
Do you want a one direction-training or a circle of learning?
How do you feel about one-direction training?
You know the kind. Where the instructor talks the whole time and you feverishly take notes to capture everything. And either the class is too big for any sort of Q&A or the session is recorded with no practical way for dialogue.
This is how first-year of college survey classes work. Bulk delivery of information. Very little interaction. English Lit 101. World History 101. etc.
But when you get to your later years of study things change. Your final year elective in your major, or a masters program in your niche specialization. No more massive classrooms. No more inaccessible instructor. No more shoulder-to-shoulder interactions with your classmates.
Instead, it’s small group conversations. Not just “Any questions?”, but dialogue and interaction about the questions, drilling deeper. It’s no longer focused on learning from one instructor, but you are growing because or your engagement with your peers as well.
How do you feel about that kind of training? Not one-directional. But a circle of learning and interaction.
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The Technical and Strategic Data Leader isn’t designed for early career data professionals. Or hands-on individual contributors. Those people are often well served by one-directional training.
But when you reach a point in your career of leading a team. Facing strategic challenges from the business. And needing to integrate technical hurdles into that strategy. You need something else.
You want a learning experience that’s a circle of peers and experts.
Here’s what Jessi, a Business Intelligence Supervisor said about the cohort:
“The content is relevant and actionable. The cohort style is unique and offers more than other ‘one-directional trainings’. The cohort style wasn't just content presented one way to us. We got to hear other people talk and share perspectives either in sessions or in Volley App [Async messaging].
It was really helpful to hear similarities and differences from people in other organizations. It validated a lot of my own experiences and put things into perspective”
That’s a learning experience you won’t find on Udemy, YouTube, DataCamp or an MIT MOOC.
We just launched registration for our fall 2024 cohort. Limited seats (only 12 available). Would love to have you join us.
I’m here,
Sawyer
You probably have some hesitations
One of the biggest market advantages of Amazon? The reviews on their products.
I can buy the same products on a lot of other online merchants, and occasionally at cheaper prices. But I’ll always land back on Amazon before making the purchase because they always have the most robust reviews of any website.
The reviews can go one of two ways - either make me way more confident in the choice. Or lead me to pivot to another product that's a better fit for what I want. Both are extremely valuable.
The larger the purchase, the more time you likely spend analyze reviews.
Before signing up for the Technical and Strategic Data Leader some cohort members had concerns.
“Value for the money. It's difficult to determine value ahead of time with only an outline of content”
“Am I the target audience and as such will it be worth the expense?”
“would it be applicable to my job?”
“There was a question whether the content would be specific enough to the problems that our organization is facing at this juncture.”
All very valid concerns. You probably have some similar concerns. I’d love to sit down with each of you and hear about them.
But alas, time is short. So I’ll borrow a page from Amazon and offer you the next best thing - reviews.
Check them out here: Thedatashop.co/leader
On the website are nine (9) former cohort members who have shared their perspective on the experience. Oh yeah, these are the same group of people who had the above concerns before registering.
Here are a couple reviews that stuck out to me:
Cole said: “For me, the biggest value of this experience was connecting with other data leaders that have either been through the things I am currently dealing with, or are currently sharing the same struggle. Being able to share ideas with others across different industries was very helpful!”
Sam said: “I'm a lot more comfortable in conversations about data architecture in the cloud. Ahmad's insights about Power BI were very enlightening. Sawyer's frameworks for thinking about data teams and their maturity and place within an organization were incredibly insightful and practical.”
Brendan shared: “I gained increased knowledge on the tech side as well and a better understanding of guiding an org through the decision process of what makes the most sense to implement based off needs.”
They can make your hesitations and concerns a thing of the past.
Registration for the cohort is open now. Seats are filling up and we’ve capped the cohort at 12 members.
I’m here,
Sawyer
How to lead with data from a humanistic perspective
Your biggest challenges as a data leader…aren’t technology-related.
Technology is rarely the hardest part of the equation. Things tend to crash and burn during the technology implementation, but that's primarily because of unclear outcomes and strategic misalignment.
So we blame tech, spend more on tech, and go through a few hire and fire rounds of tech leadership, only to land in the same place. The problem is upstream!
I don’t believe many things this firmly, but I’ll show up for this conversation every day if needed.
This is a core belief in our Data Leadership cohort. Here’s what Tyler, a Data Architect, said when asked if he would recommend the cohort to others.
“Absolutely! Because your approach to data work is delivered from a humanistic perspective that prioritizes value to organizations and end users, rather than the particulars/ nuances of the specific tech stack or being the 'alpha nerd' about performance optimization.”
A “humanistic” perspective means that your organization isn’t primarily about data or technology. It’s about creating value and distributing it to the humans that inhabit and engage your organization. Grasping the human element first makes so much of the technology easier.
You can join the next cohort that starts in just a few weeks. In addition to the content, discussion, and community that we’ve offered in past cohorts, you will also get a personalized Hotseat Workshop session. Those sessions are specifically designed to get you unblocked and launch you to the next level.
I’m here,
Sawyer
"I would absolutely recommend this" - Data Leadership Cohort Registration Details
“Why did you join the cohort?” I asked a recent cohort member.
“Be better equipped to mature our data team and organization to elevate to the next level” he replied.
And did it deliver?
“Yes. This was the most unique training I have taken in the data space. The gains and mindset shifts are more vast during the in-person sessions in comparison to the numerous technical trainings and certifications I have taken.”
👆👆
Those stories are the reason we are thrilled to launch another cohort this fall. Registration for the Technical and Strategic Data Leader opens today!
What is the Technical and Strategic Data Leader?
The Technical and Strategic Data Leader is an 8-week cohort-based learning experience with 12+ hours of live content and unique 1-1 workshop experiences designed just for you. With an intentionally small cohort size for you, we’ve designed the cohort to allow for ample interaction and Q&A with mentors and cohort peers.
Not just a technical training course (those are everywhere). Focused on the integration and intersection of business and technology for Data Leaders.
Not just content. A learning experience focused on collaboration and conversation with industry peers and mentors.
Not just another webinar.
No getting lost in a crowd. With an intentionally small cohort size and individual workshop experiences, each cohort participant has abundant space for questions, dialogue, and applying the content to their situation.
Over 8 weeks, you will have focused conversations about Data Team strategy, Business Intelligence, Data Architecture, and Data Leadership.
What should I expect?
Content geared specifically to equip data leaders. Here's what the course outline looks like
Week 1 - Intro and Foundations of Great Data Teams: Purpose and Strategy
Week 2 - Data Architectures: Understanding Common Data Architecture Concepts
Week 3 - Data Architectures: Gain a working understanding of several data architectures
Week 4 - Foundations of Great Data Teams: Part 2
Week 5 - Workshop Week 1
Week 6 - Power BI Architecture: Best Practices in Power BI Administration & Governance
Week 7 - Managing Power BI Developers: Standardizing requirements gathering, UI/UX design, and the dashboard creation process
Week 8 - Workshop Week 2
Registration:
General registration is open now this morning, Monday, Sept 16th. Register here.
Dates:
The next cohort is Oct 8th-Nov 26th on Tuesdays from 9-11 am PT / 12-2 pm ET
This is an intensive cohort. You will get the most out of this cohort if you have the time to invest in the experience. In addition to the two-hour meeting each week, a variety of synchronous and asynchronous discussions will happen throughout the 8 weeks.
Block your calendars now.
Company Support:
Over 80% of cohort participants received support from their company for some or all of their registration fees. Connect with your leadership today about supporting you in your growth as a data leader. This cohort is designed to accelerate your growth as a data leader and launch your team to the next level for delivering value to your organization.
Why wouldn't your company want to pay for that?
Limited spots:
We only open up 12 spots in this cohort of TSDL. In the first 6 hours of registration, we had 3 of them filled. I really don't know how long the rest will stay open.
Should you join?
Here's what some past cohort members said:
"I would absolutely recommend the TSDL to anyone who is struggling with the challenges of maturing the data practice inside of an organization. The content is relatable and relevant to the issues data teams face today." - Cole
"Yes, the TSDL was a great experience where I received a professionally curated education on various topics data leaders need to know." - Javier
"Yes, to those who need a high-level understanding of the strategic place of data in an organization" - Daniel
"Yes, at the very least they will make connections with other data leaders even if they don't get anything out of the course" - Robert
"Yes, I found the course very informative and quick-paced. Good value for the money." - Brendan
"Yes, I would recommend the TSDL for anyone leading, or taking over, a data team because it will arm you with ideas on how to build your team's processes to both become successful and remain that way by engaging regularly with your stakeholders, creating a virtuous cycle." - Obie
"Yes. The content is relevant and actionable. The cohort style is unique and offers more than other "one directional trainings" - Jessi
👆 That's better than anything I could have said.
Register now! Only 12 seats are available and only the first 8 get guaranteed access to a personalized hotseat workshop.
I’m here,
Sawyer
This leaves a lasting impact
How do you know if the data leadership cohort is worth your time and energy?
If the impact and results extend beyond the end of the cohort.
The stuff that comes afterward tells the real story.
Here are some things that former cohort members have shared in the weeks that followed:
—> Business Intelligence Leader - “I’ve been interviewing and have referenced your work as well as some of the architectural discussion we had in the sessions James Serra led!”
—> Director Data Programs -“I’m putting together a business proposal for my leadership and leveraging the concepts and frameworks I learned in the cohort to cast a vision for the data team and advocate for more support”
This is not just about having some new trendy ideas to talk about. Through questions and dialogue, these cohort participants were able to integrate the ideas into their work.
To advance to the next step in their career.
To increase the visibility and vision for data in their organization.
Sure the cohort itself is a great experience. But it leaves a lasting impact on the participants. That’s what really gets me excited.
The next cohort launches on Oct 8th.
General Registration opens on Monday.
Only 12 seats (and 35 people on the waitlist already!)
I’m here,
Sawyer
“The most unique training I have taken in the data space.”
What’s the Technical and Strategic Data Leader cohort like?
Unlike anything else.
Here’s what Josh, Associate Director of Business Intelligence, said:
“This was the most unique training I have taken in the data space.”
Data leaders often hit a unique place in their career where they no longer need technical training courses on optimizing SQL. Nor do they benefit as much from generic leadership training courses to help develop “soft skills”. Additionally, it’s increasingly hard to find industry peers that understand the challenges of leading with data.
If you’ve tried:
Purchasing a host of Udemy courses (most left unfinished)
Joining Slack, Discord, or other online spaces hoping to build community, but left feeling lonely and disconnected.
Binged business leadership podcasts and books and felt unsure how to connect the concepts to the data world.
You want community with industry, relevant and engaging content, and expert guidance and mentorship.
It’s time for a different approach.
On October 8th we are launching our next cohort for The Technical and Strategic Data Leader. It’s a unique experience for data leaders that’s unlike anything else in the data space.
For 8 weeks we:
Gather for two hours each week for content, discussion, and workshops
Collaborate and support each other in a async community platform.
Connect with peers and mentors to receive advice and empathy for your challenges.
You walk away better equipped to lead with data.
Here’s what Josh also said: “The gains and mindset shifts are more vast than the numerous technical trainings and certifications I have taken.”
General Registration opens on Monday. Click here to join the waitlist and get early registration access!
I’m here,
Sawyer
Decentralizing data and using finance to drive impact
pssst…. quick heads up. Early registration for the next Technical and Strategic Data Leader cohort opens to waitlist members on Friday. If you want a guaranteed spot in the next cohort, get on the wait list for early access!
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In this episode of Making Data Matter, we sit down with guest Matt Benford - CFO at Community Action Partnership Sonoma County
You will gain insights into:
How finance drives impact in community services
Ways to build trust when decentralizing data and responsibility.
How to lead with curiosity
Integrating finance, data, and strategy in non-profit work.
and more.
I’m glad you are here,
Sawyer
Data-driven decisions don’t come out of nowhere.
You can't make data-driven decisions if you don't have any meaningfully defined decision-making process.
You will fail every time.
When the vast majority of leaders and executives rely on gut instinct and their experience there is no coherent decision process where you can insert data.
This is why so many data strategy initiatives fail. If the goal is to get decision-makers to make rely on data when making decisions then just giving them data won't fix it.
The data will just be ignored. And leadership will go on “trusting their experience”
Instead, you have to overhaul their decision-making framework - a MUCH hard task!
Your data strategy initiatives - should you be brave enough to attempt one - must have a decision-making framework as the focal point.
Otherwise, you’ve paved an expensive data platform highway to career frustration.
I’m here,
Sawyer
Your first step toward a high-performing data team
Data has a success function and a decision function.
99% of the work a data team does should connect to one of these two things.
Measuring Success
Increasing Certainty in Decisions
These are two core functions of data. They rarely overlap. And there is rarely justified work outside these two areas.
Measuring Success means tracking progress toward organizational outcomes. It answers the core question: “Are we closer to our desired outcome now than we were before?”
Increasing Certainty in Decisions means specific decisions have been identified and data is leveraged to increase the confidence and certainty in the decision. It answers the core question: “Which decision is most likely to move us closer to our desired outcome?”
Every story, task, dashboard, Jira ticket, pipeline, and database query should attempt to support one of these two core functions.
If you look at your data team’s tasks this week and can’t identify how they connect to one of these two you have a problem.
Either
You don’t have success metrics defined (and so you can’t measure progress)
You don’t have a practical strategy for making decisions. So you just throw data at people and hope they use it the next time they are faced with a dilemma.
Both are crippling.
I’ve got spots available in a half-day workshop tomorrow. The core part of the workshop focuses on defining success and making decisions. It’s your first step to building a high performing data team.
I’m here,
Sawyer
Last call: Why do data teams struggle to execute and prioritize with excellence?
Here’s what I hear from leaders of data teams:
- Overwhelmed by tickets, data requests, and bug fixes.
- Scattered with conflicting priorities.
- Limited vision for how data functions in their organization
So your team muddles along.
You as the leader lose hope. And your team members quickly follow.
What if you had:
- Clarity on how to measure success for your data team
- Confidence about your progress toward your goals.
- Renewed focus for prioritizing your team’s work.
- Decision-making frameworks for optimal results
- Renewed Energy from your team around tangible progress
The answer isn’t another software tool, more headcount, or a bigger budget.
It’s a simplified framework to help you measure the success and define the strategy of your team.
I’m hosting a 4-hour event to give you exactly that. This is the last chance to register! It’s next Tuesday on Sept 10th at 11 am ET. Join this live and interactive workshop and walk away with a defined purpose for your data team and a vision for how to execute that vision.
Registration is closing at the end of today. Last call!
I made this for you,
Sawyer
We cheat when we measure.
pre-s: Do you have a clear purpose and strategy for your data team and how it fits in your organization?
Next week on Sept 10th, I’m hosting a 4-hour workshop to give you the confidence and direction you need to lead with data. You will walk away with a clear purpose for your data team and a vision for how to prioritize and execute.
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A common pattern data leaders follow when trying to measure their goals and success…
They cheat.
We say our goal is to be a trusted data team. But we end up measuring data quality.
We say our goal is to empower a data driven organization. But we end up measure how many times a user views a report.
We say our goal is operational efficiency. But we end up measuring pipeline runtimes.
We say our goal is self-service analytics. But we end up measuring the number of reports created by users.
The stated goal is well thought out. Purposeful. Likely came from a few hours of strategic meetings.
So why do the actual measurements fail to live up to the goal?
You assume you can’t measure the real thing. You think it’s too abstract or intangible to measure “trust”, “being data driven”, or “self-service analytics”
So you substitute a cheap imitation. But in the process, you short-change your real objective for a metric your team will cut corners to beat.
If the goal is for the organization to trust the data, then measure trust - not a substitute for trust.
If the goal is to increase self-service analytics, then measure self-service analytics - not a substitute for self-service analytics.
This will force you to ask better questions. Design better measurements. And ultimately, optimize for the right things on your team. Don’t cheat.
If you think you have a team goal that can’t be measured, hit reply and tell me about it.
I’m here,
Sawyer
“Do you know anyone who’s hiring?”
Two stories with show up in my inbox each week. Both stories have the same source.
Data Leader #1 - “I just got laid off. Do you know anyone who’s hiring?”
Data Leader #2 - “I’m so frustrated at my leadership’s lack of understanding about the importance of data. Do you know anyone who's hiring?”
I’ve seen this enough that I had to wonder - what’s going on here?
I believe both of these stories are based on the same problem. Lack of delivering successful business outcomes with data and communicating it clearly to leadership.
Most data teams struggle to identify their purpose and measure the success of their team. Closely related, is an inability to communicate any success they have to tangible business outcomes.
Being successful and communicating that success to others are two different things. Many people (technical people especially), assume that if they do great work they will fundamentally get noticed for it. And they end up drowning in frustration because leadership ignores their work entirely.
No matter how great your data team is technical, if there isn’t a clear vision for how it’s shaping the benefit of the organization then you will fail. Even when you have a clear vision, you have to regularly advocate and communicate how you succeeding at the vision.
The data leader who just got laid off either failed to deliver irreplaceable value or failed to communicate it clearly to leadership.
The data leader who is frustrated and looking for a new role either fails to deliver irreplaceable value (and is ignored by leadership) or fails to communicate it clearly to leadership (and, once again, is ignored).
Data is an art and science. Ignoring either lands you in my inbox asking “Do you know anyone who’s hiring?”
Next week I’m hosting a 4-hour workshop for data leaders like you. It will help you define and measure peak success on your data team so you can execute, prioritize, and get noticed by leadership like never before.
Registration details. Limited seats are available.
It was good to see you today,
Sawyer