To truly achieve the goal of becoming a data-driven business, the process requires effort and energy from data leaders across the organisation.
So what is a data leader? And what are the true attributes of data leadership?
What is a data leader?
As the name suggests, the job of a data leader is to make sure the data analysis projects and processes within a business are profitable and performing as they should. Data leadership can also be defined as a manager or team who cares for data projects on behalf of an employer or business.
The presence of data-driven capabilities and leadership within an organisation implies that the company’s decision-making processes are informed by data and facts rather than guesswork, opinions and intuitions.
Data capability services and leadership can maximise the value of your data and information by integrating data governance principles, concepts, and practices into your overall business strategy.
In doing so, data leadership ensures your organisation upholds both a high standard for data quality and the necessary capabilities to do so. Perhaps most pertinent, data leaders can give your company the momentum it needs to streamline operations through data analytics, machine learning and AI solutions. As a result, a data leader can bridge the gap between your company’s overall strategy and achieving better data quality, which will result in improved productivity and efficiency.
The attributes of data leadership
There is little doubt that data and information are fuelling innovation in the modern business world – but what makes a particular analytical strategy succeed? Or in other words, what are the true attributes of data leadership?
Breaking traditional business barriers
One of the most important attributes of a successful data leader is the ability to break traditional barriers. Data should no longer be confined to the IT department of an organisation.
Instead, successful data leadership should ensure ongoing collaborations and partnerships throughout a workforce, regardless of different department goals, mindsets, levels of understanding and ways of working. Breaking these interdepartmental barriers and other hurdles typical of a traditional working environment is vital to collaboration and innovation within a business.
Data leaders need to be knowledgeable about their company and their sector as well as the data they’re collecting and what it means. They must also be able to lead teams of data scientists and analysts who can comprehend the data, business professionals who can frame the issues that need to be resolved, IT specialists who can put it all to work and domain experts who can ensure that the insight is presented clearly – all while ensuring everything connects back to the goals of the company. The finest data leaders will be able to function as interpreters to close the communication gap between these parties by speaking the language of data scientists and the business itself.
Merging business operations with science
A true data leader doesn’t need to be an advanced data analytics specialist or an IT director in the conventional sense. Although infrastructure and technology are important components, the main obstacle to becoming a data-driven organisation is outside the purview of this scope.
Instead, a data leader should be a manager with the essential skill set to combine science with day-to-day business operations. Data analytical processes and solutions must be integrated into company processes, which necessitates major adjustments to traditional methods and practices. These days, existing organisational structures and traditional processes are increasingly ill-equipped to cope with automated, data-driven decisions – a data leader’s job is to make this newfound integration possible.
Creating a data culture
When analysing massive amounts of data, it’s critical to offer data teams the freedom to think creatively. Although models and visualisations can be helpful on their own, human analysis offers true value and contextual understanding, frequently igniting new product ideas, service ideas or more innovative company strategies.
This is also why when building a data team, a business should consider professionals with a variety of viewpoints, such as computer science and business analysis, in addition to just those with quantitative expertise. Data leaders should work to foster a culture where teams can investigate important themes as well as concentrate on advancing evidence-based conclusions.
Utilising foresight
The challenge of collecting and making use of an ever-increasing deluge of business data is a difficulty most sectors must manage in a constantly changing environment. Large quantities of this data are lost because they are compartmentalised, thrown away or even lost in the IT system. Organisations can gain a lot from big data and data analytics, but only if their data leaders commit to putting defined data strategies in place as well as committing to implementing forward-thinking methods and processes into effect.
Allowing data to move faster and more efficiently
Data is the lifeblood of contemporary business and has enormous untapped potential, but it can also be slow. Allowing data to flow at the speed of business and effectively conveying the vision to the workforce is key to being a successful data leader as well as staying ahead of the competition.
Final thoughts
So what is a data leader? And what are the true attributes of data leadership?
When a business has a data-driven leadership, it means that decisions are not based on speculation, views or gut feelings, but rather on data and facts. Data governance ideas, concepts and practices can be included in your overall business plan to maximise the value of your data and information.
In doing so, data leadership makes sure your business maintains a high standard for data quality and has the tools necessary to accomplish forward-thinking, efficient data analytics. Most importantly, data leaders can give your business the drive it needs to implement data analytics, machine learning and AI technologies that can simplify operations and improve your efficiency, productivity and profitability. As a result, a data leader can essentially close the gap between the overarching goal of your business and achieving greater data quality.
