Data leaders should also utilise top-down leadership techniques to influence business decision makers, alongside emphasising the importance of data as a strategic asset. CDOs functioning as key data storytellers helps get buy-in from essential business players. Too much exposure to detail for non-data leadership makes unnecessary work – knowing what data to give and what to withhold is paramount in receiving consistent buy-in, which will improve strategic decisions. Data is fractal and complex; most technical data issues do not need to be raised to key business decision makers. Instead, blending smaller KPIs with higher targets can help foster relationships between data champions and frontline practitioners, which will influence key business decision makers to always have one eye on the data.
However, if the frontline of the data function is up to speed through induction and suitably consistent training, and the top suite of the business has an appropriate data education, attention can be turned to players in the messy middle, who inform a key aspect of the data strategy. More regulated, monitored training on relevant tooling and storytelling can help raise the profile of data for business decision makers. Often, immature organisations have a low-profile data office regarded as a back-office function. Ensuring alignment within the dense messy middle can convert it to a mainstream perception in the organisation, enhancing the standing of data in the business. The ultimate mission should not be to raise the profile of data as a separate function, but to ingrain data cross-functionally throughout the organisation. One example of this is having a monthly newsletter noting five key ways that data has improved KPIs across the business. This will demonstrate that data is foundational for all areas and should be followed to achieve success.
The data function should not strive to be in the spotlight but should aim to be known as the enabler for change. This will ensure business decision makers rely upon consistent data insights to make key business decisions and begin to organically request data to influence choices. It is critically important that data leaders learn to speak in the language of the business plan here; generating use-cases to show data insights improving profit and loss margins or removing risk is invaluable to influence change, but it must be understood by non-data professionals. For example, key business leaders have historically used gut-based decision methods to inform important solutions; using these instinctual decisions as hypothesis and providing data to prove or disprove their choice can raise the profile of data and stress the importance of its consistent usage.
Overall, business decision makers can and must be persuaded to follow the data. To achieve this, data practitioners must learn to talk in a common business language and tell the story of data without getting sidetracked in heavy technical details. General up-skilling, especially around the messy middle, and focusing on specific talent-sets when recruiting in response to the evolving shape of the data team can ensure all the important skillsets are covered. Leadership buy-in is essential, and the CDO should be an active advocate and data storyteller to prove the importance of data as a strategic asset in the business plan. Data must be highlighted as an invaluable decision-making tool for all areas of the business, and noted as an internal benefit, not an external function.
