{"id":31116,"date":"2025-02-21T10:57:28","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T10:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/?post_type=article&p=31116"},"modified":"2025-03-27T09:40:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T09:40:26","slug":"become-the-next-data-leader-afl","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/articles\/become-the-next-data-leader-afl\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Academy for Future Leaders (AFL) benefits aspirational data professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joining AFL<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"Jordan
Jordan Wignall took part in DataIQ’s Academy for Future Leaders (AFL).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jordan initially believed that excelling in technical skills and showcasing being the best developer or data scientist was the key to reaching a leadership position. However, the <\/span>AFL<\/span><\/a> helped him realise that leadership goes beyond technical expertise and involves mentoring, strategy, and business impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has always been the end goal for me as a practitioner to eventually make it to the to that level,\u201d said Jordan. \u201cAFL allowed me to see what the CDO role actually included from a leadership standpoint, not just a technical one. It really helped me understand that it is not enough to just be technical to be a CDO; it required you to be able to apply these skills and translate them in a way that is beneficial to all areas of the organisation and adds true value.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the most senior data professional at Love Energy Savings, Jordan was expected to lead the team and contribute to business strategy. However, he felt he lacked experience in leadership and was unsure how to transition from a technical expert to a strategic leader, which is why AFL was seen as such a beneficial programme.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jordan discussed his career progression with senior leaders who supported his need for specific leadership training.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a conversation with our CTO \u2013 a big backer for me in the business \u2013 and I explained if I’m going to be taking on more responsibilities then, for the business and for my personal growth, I need to go and get enrolled somewhere to excel,\u201d said Jordan. \u201cI showed the leadership team the AFL programme and had a meeting with DataIQ who sent across a useful introductory information pack. It was a very simple process and speaking with DataIQ highlighted that AFL would be a huge benefit to me and the business.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learning through AFL<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

As the course started, Jordan expected to feel a sense of impostor syndrome, fearing he would be surrounded on the course by already established CDOs. However, he immediately found that most participants shared similar backgrounds and challenges to his own; he was among peers and people that were on the same journey.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people that are on the course are similar people, with a shared background, and a lot of the same obstacles. I realised I was with people are very similar to me, they\u2019re just from different industries.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jordan\u2019s key takeaways from starting the AFL course include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n