Key ingredients of successful data teams in?2023

Thank you for reading my latest article?Key ingredients of successful data teams in 2023.

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The most successful data teams I have worked with aren’t just those which have the right balance of leadership, processes and technology, but those who have support from the very top. Leaders really need to be seen to make key strategic business decisions on the basis of data. True success lies when employees can trace a clear line from the data to the decision though to the business outcome and this shift in mindset isn’t an easy one.

When Elena Alfaro, the Global Head of Open Innovation and Advanced Data Analytics at BBVA bank tried to hire?data scientists, potential candidates were put off when they “realised that their ideas for their careers didn’t match up well with what we could offer.”?Instead, they decided that in order to attract and retain top talent they would create their own separate company focusing on data and analytics. Using this approach BBVA were able to spread the data culture back into the bank on a use case by use case basis with the specific business units they were working with.

This just goes to show that sometimes it’s actually easier to create a separate company and instill a new culture rather than try to change a deeply rooted one!

This reminded me of a time early in my career when I worked for Lloyds Bank in 2004. Back then you weren’t allowed to even get access to the customer data until you had been through an internally run course demonstrating the fundamentals of SQL, responsible use of data and privacy.

I can’t remember seeing an approach like this since, and at the time I didn’t appreciate how forward thinking it was. Many teams I now work with would have significantly benefited from a similar process in their respective organizations. The governance around this process meant that managers of new starters were incentivised to enroll their new recruits so they could become productive more quickly.

Measuring Success

The number of data and analytics projects which actually take the time to measure the success of their projects is something in my experience is rare. Those organizations which do take the time to measure the value in a creditable way often realize big payoffs.

Establishing an economic impact framework, focusing on key aspects such as Revenue (new customers volumes, new users of applications, more effective campaigns), Operational efficiency, and Reputation in the market will clearly demonstrate the impact and value data can have when it is treated as a corporate asset.

As more data points become available and the systems which can crunch the data continue to evolve there will be little excuse not to measure project value against tangible benchmarks.

A great book to read on this is by?John Doerr, ‘Measure what Matters’. Measure What Matters is about using Objectives and Key Results (or OKRs) to make tough choices on business priorities. It’s about communicating these objectives throughout the company from entry level to CEO and it’s about collecting timely, relevant data to track progress — to measure what matters.

Technical abilities will become much less of a differentiator

As the market continues to benefit from an influx of computer science graduates it will become less of a distinction to have a programming language as a skill to more of an expectation by employers. Successful candidates will need to differentiate themselves by demonstrating story telling, critical thinking and problem solving abilities.

The world economic forum 2020 released the ‘Top 10 skills of 2025’, and as you can see in the image below the first technology-centric one comes in at number 7.

Many technical people continue to focus primarily on the technology and, in doing so, fail to see the value in selling an idea and understanding the reason why the business makes (or loses!) money. Possessing a wider appreciation of what makes the business tick, communicating well and understanding how the role they play in this is critical to unlocking actionable insights for the business.

Specific technical skills are of course always useful but people with a growth mindset in the right environment will always find a way to succeed.

Networking

People are more likely to do business with people who they know, like and trust and Mitchell Levy, a global credibility?expert describes in this Ted talk. No one person can do everything themselves, so having a strong, flexible network of trusted people will become increasingly important.

Tools such as LinkedIn and becoming more prominent and prospective employers doing their research will start to integrate social media presence into part of their candidate screening process.

In 2023 I believe candidates will be expected to have a personal brand promoting not just their skills, experience and achievements but who they are as a person, what values they live by and what motivates them.

If you’re interesting in finding out more about optimising your LinkedIn profile for success then check out?this article which includes 8 ways to boost your profile.

Technologies will continue to come and go

Technology changes so rapidly it’s difficult to be an expert in everything. The real power now comes in seeking out those people who can bring specific skills to the table as and when you need them.

The technology of today will not necessarily solve the problems of tomorrow — it’s less about technical skills and more about adopting a growth mindset.

With a greater number of roles enabled for remote delivery, a wider slice of the population can participate in the active labour pool that was otherwise location restrictive and disproportionately tilted in favour of large cities and economic hubs. Employers also stand to take advantage as they have access to a wider pool of talent. Taking ‘work to people’ rather than ‘people to work’ will be the hiring theme of the future.

Technology will also play a key role in supporting CXOs in moving to a sustainable model allowing companies to present a sound corporate social responsibility, satisfying a wide range of stakeholders including investors, regulators and customers. According to the latest UNGC-Accenture Strategy CEO Study, more than 99% of CEOs from large companies now agree that “sustainability issues are important to the future success of their businesses.”

To stay up to date with the latest business and tech trends in data and analytics, make sure to subscribe to?my newsletter, follow me on?LinkedIn, and?YouTube, and, if you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into Snowflake check out my books?‘Mastering Snowflake Solutions’?and?‘SnowPro Core Certification Study Guide’.

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About Adam Morton

Adam Morton is an experienced data leader and author in the field of data and analytics with a passion for delivering tangible business value. Over the past two decades Adam has accumulated a wealth of valuable, real-world experiences designing and implementing enterprise-wide data strategies, advanced data and analytics solutions as well as building high-performing data teams across the UK, Europe, and Australia.

Adam’s continued commitment to the data and analytics community has seen him formally recognised as an international leader in his field when he was awarded a Global Talent Visa by the Australian Government in 2019.

Today, Adam works in partnership with?Intelligen Group, a Snowflake pureplay data and analytics consultancy based in Sydney, Australia. He is dedicated to helping his clients to overcome challenges with data while extracting the most value from their data and analytics implementations.

He has also developed a signature training program that includes an intensive online curriculum, weekly live consulting Q&A calls with Adam, and an exclusive mastermind of supportive data and analytics professionals helping you to become an expert in Snowflake. If you’re interested in finding out more, visit?www.masteringsnowflake.com.