Why is thought leadership on developing data maturity directed at leaders?
It needs to be directed at the rest of the organization.
The very first process methodology I learned was bottom-up driven Total Quality Management back in the 80s. It aligned so perfectly with my teenage punk and DIY ethos, and thus began my use of kaizen.
Model for your teams kaizen, and they will self-discover the need for data-driven decisions. They may not refer to it as "data-driven decisions," but I'll get to that....
Particularly in a world where we find ourselves in a society with less personal control than we prefer to feel comfortable -- inflation, layoffs, to name a couple -- creating an environment of AGENCY for my teams offers an outlet for potentially unchanneled solutioning.
This means if I behave and discuss openly challenging the status quo, I contribute to a #SafeToFail environment fertilized with creativity and intelligence.
Folx who challenge status quo ask lots of questions.
Ultimately, these questions WILL be answered by data: qualitative and/or quantitative. Periodt.
But don't leap to the data fix.
Listening between the lines is key for me to hypothesize the right data build.
What do I mean by this?
The best way to gain alignment is to allow each person to draw their own conclusions. This is one of my top secrets to building champions for new initiatives.
Stakeholders may not articulate, "We need a data mart powered by a new internal process and program enabling sales people to self-serve on pursuing small volume deals in key markets."
It may come out as, "I don't care if you're full up: we need a strategist on this deal. This is my BU, and it's important to me."
Stakeholders may not articulate, "We need to perform a data analysis on our Go/No-Go process, create a performance baseline, and determine features of successful and unsuccessful deals at each stage of the sales cycle and, ultimately, where, when and how to apply resources."
It may come out as, "I had a golf game with Person XYZ at Fortune 500 Target Client. What do I do now to further the conversation?"
I'm excited to identify data-driven disruptions, propose how to unlock value and both discover & deepen connections in my network.
Do you revel in challenging the status quo, bias and thought patterns stuck in a rut? Together, we innovate, inspire and drive impact.
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