My Journey through Data Driven Disruption

Raghav K. provided me an opportunity to speak on his inaugural #technology #leadership #VulcanCoder #Podcast. I cherish this interview from two perspectives: first, his conversational approach provided me a moment of introspection on my future following my wife's recent passing; and second, to appreciate what my career as a #DataDrivenDisruption really means in a business context.

Let me confess that this article does not convey my journey, but instead highlights key things you will hear throughout our interview. Please visit and subscribe to VulcanCoder, so as not to miss the great insights this interviewer will pull from his guests.

Business Is Personal

If you are one of the tens and hundreds of thousands laid off during the very public downsizing of big corporations, you know, or will learn as I have, that nothing is more personal than business.

Individuals report that 70% of their personal well-being is related to their direct supervisor/manager at work. SEVENTY PERCENT! If you manage people or lead client interactions, I challenge you to appreciate the personal context around which business outcomes are established.

Those who make great personal connections will also have lasting business relationships upon your future relies. So treat your business roles as the foundation upon which your personal reputation is built.

Becoming a Leader

Before becoming a leader, you need to appreciate that you need not be a business leader to succeed in either your personal life or your career. You can be a trades person, a subject matter expert, or a loyal employee to an enterprise and make significant and meaningful contributions to your family, your community, and your financial future. Leadership is not well-suited for everyone.

Raghav asks what it takes to be a leader? Upon reflection, it appeared to me that effective leadership relies on self-assurance and a willingness to take command of the situation. Self-assurance is your rutter amidst dynamic circumstance and your surety amidst challenging times. Taking command is built upon your willingness to take personal responsibility for your own actions AND the actions of those in your charge.

Noone succeeds alone! You succeed ... or fail ... along with those around you; both your family at work and your family at home. Before you accept your first leadership position, please carefully weigh your intrinsic interests and make sure you are happy with both the consequences, not just the rewards, that come with accepting great responsibility.

What is Data-Driven Disruption?

Data-driven disruption is an opportunity to move from static decision trees to dynamic business processes that provide operational excellence through near real-time insights. In practice, a data-driven disrupter "looks to speed the decision-making process by placing the right information, at the right time, with the right suggestions at the hands of whoever the decision-maker happens to be."

Every customer interaction demands your ability to make the correct decision in a timely manner. This cannot be done effectively without insights derived from your organization's data domains. Today, the capabilities are available with ever-evolving technological capabilities. Still, dynamic processes to deliver upon your business' capabilities will not happen without some data-driven disruption.

Managing Change is Critical

Change, let alone disruptive change, requires commitment and leadership. Only creativity can be outsourced, the realization of change across your organization rests solely upon your operational leaders. Service line innovation cannot be manifested externally, the leadership must come from within your organization, within your department, within your team, and within your self!

Managing this change means you must understand your own leadership style and your own characteristics. I recommend that you take a free assessment of your #CliftonStrengths. It will provide you a personal insight into your own self and help you mentor the next generation of leaders within your organization. Know you can never delegate leadership!

Most Decisions are Uninformed

It may surprise you that the majority of decisions made are poorly informed or truly uninformed. We are just entering into era where data can be made available to inform the decision-making process. This means we, as an industry, operate in an immature state.

For this reason, large organizations rely upon the intuition and expertise gained from experience. Over time, wisdom is developed through the accumulation of knowledge over time. Advanced analytics and automation has promised to replace intuition via direct access to timely data. However, I caution business leaders to recognize their own bias for short-term achievements in favor of long-term accomplishment.

It is naive to hire naive leaders into roles assuming a robust data-driven infrastructure will supplement the gaps of an inexperienced leader. Instead, mind your hubris and seek mentorship throughout your career; be both a mentor and a mentee. And as you get on in your career, seek reverse mentorship to humble ourself in the face of emergent industries and technologies.

The Future is Missed by Artificial Intelligence

In the present, there is no data on the future. So, all artificial intelligence is built upon the interactions and data collected from the past. Only humans see deep into the future and see alternatives to existing circumstance. That is why I believe that AI and automation are just tools. They will never be anything more than that. Like humans, all intelligence (excepting the divine) is mortal and limited in value to the time in which it is implemented.

Closing Comments

Human capital is necessary for all businesses. Even autonomous convenient stores and digital properties provide services to other humans. Don't you fret about digital transformation or data-driven disruption, all technology will crumble when the humans it serves desire something different for our future. Value is created only when the business interaction is personal.

Let us all appreciate those in our lives, as I can tell you from the passing of my spouse of 31 years; there is nothing that you will accomplish in the entirity of your life that matters as much as the loving and lasting relationships you have with those individuals with whom you interact. As such, I do keep my direct messaging open. Please contact me and should you not have access to LinkedIN, you may email me directly at my social networking email: [email protected].

written by: Kevin Monte de Ramos