Shaping Your Data Team
Introduction to “Shaping Your Data Team” article series.
Simon Sinek says that if you want to find your purpose in life, ask a close friend to tell you why you are friends. They might struggle with the question, but eventually they will tell you why you are important to them. They might say something like, "you make me a better person" or "you inspire me to change". You should ask this of a trusted friend (he says), because it's a voluntary relationship; if you ask someone who is stuck with you, you might hear more about your failures too.
"Your WHY is the one thing you give to the world", says Sinek, and that’s important to know that not just in your individual relationships, but also for your data team.
I want to help you find the “one thing” that your data team gives to your company. It has something to do with the character of your team, so I’ll paint a picture of those qualities to help you shape and grow your team. Becoming a trusted partner in the mission of your whole company starts with who you are, as a team and as an individual.
Five Key Values
I’ve written a series of articles to illustrate the most important qualities of a good data team:
Innovation: Turn Your Data Ship Around
Communication: Listen to the Messengers
Collaboration: Blur the Lines (January)
Influence: Change Agents: How a Data Team Influences a Company for Good (February)
Teamwork: The Perfect Data Team Structure (March)
Just wanting to do these things isn’t enough, so with each character quality, I’ll give you one new habit to practice that helps you develop these values. Data runs through every part of a company, so I’ll explain these qualities in a way that everyone – CxOs, analysts, and data engineers – can relate to.
Hard Candy
I could give you a checklist for how to organize the data team, what roles and skills you need, and the projects to work on. But that's not how wisdom works. Wisdom is more like hard candy; if you bite down immediately, you might break a tooth. You’re better off letting it melt in your mouth. I hope that’s how this series comes across: a clear vision and memorable illustrations of each quality that you can reflect on and apply.