Quartz Product Head on Team Building (Part 3)
Once you have gone through your team building transformation, the final stage for instilling data culture is evangelizing the process. In other words, you want to reach a point where data is present in every meeting even if you are not able to present it. This is where the power of “the network” takes over and you have data experts throughout your organization.
For example, we didn’t only have analysts who were presenting data. We had executives who started to champion our data culture as well. In addition, I built partnerships with people in the newsroom who started asking “what does the data say.” Over time, we chipped away at the skeptics and created a ripple effect where we weren’t just acting on instinct. Instead, the team started to use data to make informed decisions.
I realize that this five-step process from “Assess to Evangelize” is presented linearly. However, it’s important to note that this is a cyclical process that should be repeated. For example, this process will start with one department or one business function. Over time, you’ll want to build data culture within other teams across your organization. Simply put, sustaining your data culture never stops and should always be present in your daily routine.
In the end, learning to use data is like learning a different language. For example, I took years and years of French before I felt comfortable speaking with other people. Understanding how to use data follows a similar process. Team building with data culture takes time and does not happen overnight. As a result, it’s important to keep working at it and maintain an open mind to ensure that your team stays on track.
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Looking for Part 2? Click here to view.
About the speaker
A high-velocity self-starter with a demonstrated ability to set aggressive goals and lead teams to achieve them. Experienced in combining strategic insights and human-centered design principles to deliver high client and product value. Driven strategy and execution at various phases of the product lifecycle, from conceptualization and development to product launch, while managing engineering, design, and business teams.