You’re a data architect. How can you become an even better leader?

1 Understand the business context

One of the key skills of a data architect is to translate the business requirements into data models, schemas, and architectures. To do this effectively, you need to understand the business context, goals, and challenges of your organization and your stakeholders. You need to align your data strategy with the business strategy and communicate the value and impact of your data solutions. You also need to keep up with the industry trends, best practices, and standards that affect your domain and your organization. By understanding the business context, you can deliver data solutions that are relevant, timely, and scalable.

2 Collaborate with other data professionals

As a data architect, you are part of a larger data team that includes data engineers, data analysts, data scientists, and other data professionals. You need to collaborate with them to ensure the consistency, compatibility, and integration of your data solutions. You need to share your expertise, insights, and feedback with them and learn from their perspectives and experiences. You also need to coordinate with them on data governance, quality, and security issues and policies. By collaborating with other data professionals, you can leverage their skills, knowledge, and tools to create better data solutions.

3 Communicate with clarity and confidence

As a data architect, you need to communicate with various audiences, such as business users, executives, developers, and regulators. You need to communicate with clarity and confidence, using the appropriate language, tone, and format for each audience. You need to explain complex data concepts and architectures in simple and understandable terms, using diagrams, visuals, and examples. You also need to listen actively, ask questions, and address concerns and objections. By communicating with clarity and confidence, you can build trust, rapport, and influence with your stakeholders.

4 Mentor and coach others

As a data architect, you have a lot of experience, knowledge, and skills that you can share with others. You can mentor and coach other data professionals, especially those who are new or less experienced in your field. You can help them learn new skills, overcome challenges, and grow in their careers. You can also mentor and coach business users, executives, and developers on how to use and benefit from your data solutions. By mentoring and coaching others, you can demonstrate your leadership, expertise, and generosity.

5 Keep learning and improving

As a data architect, you need to keep learning and improving your skills and knowledge. You need to stay updated on the latest technologies, tools, and techniques that can enhance your data solutions. You need to experiment with new ideas, test new approaches, and learn from your failures and successes. You also need to seek feedback, reviews, and evaluations from your peers, managers, and stakeholders. By keeping learning and improving, you can stay ahead of the curve, challenge yourself, and deliver better data solutions.