⚔️ You've had your arms chopped off.

The 5 key challenges holding data leaders back.

READ TIME: 5 MINUTES

👋 Data Leadership coaching with me.

Far out, it’s almost November.

Some people start to wind down at this time of year and say, “screw it”. That’s next year’s problem.

Others (people like me), see this time of year as a golden opportunity to finish strong and make sure we achieve the things we set out to do. These are my people.

If you feel like you’ve still got some juice in the tank and want to finish the year as strong as possible, then why not come work with me to give it a red hot go?

I have availability for a few new clients starting in November. Also, anyone who signs on with me now will lock in 2025 pricing!!

Book a free and informal 1:1 chat with me to discover ways I can help you make sure you finish strong in 2025. Find time with me here.

☠️ You’re fighting a losing battle.

At least that’s how it feel sometimes being a data leader.

And while we put on a brave face like the knight in the famous Monty Python sketch, many of us are bleeding out and unlikely to survive much longer in our roles (Particularly with AI breathing down our necks).

Becoming an effective and influential data leader is hard, but not impossible. Understanding the way forward, requires a sober look at the biggest challenges holding us back.

For this week’s edition, I’ve decided to compile a short list of the Top 5 most common challenges I see holding back ambitious data leaders from being the strategic powerhouses they know they can be.

Let’s take a look shall we?

🗳️ Poll time!

What’s the biggest frustration you face as a data leader right now?

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(scroll to the bottom for last week’s poll results!)

🙅🏼‍♂️ 1. Companies saying they’re “data driven” when they’re not

PROBLEM:
Data Driven is an overused and misunderstood buzzword. In most cases, companies that call themselves ‘data' driven’ simply mean that they have data available to look at via dashboards.

Whether they are truly data driven will come down to how effectively data plays a role in the evaluation and decision making process - something which is much rarer.

IMPACT:
If leadership thinks they’re already data driven, they’ll stop investing in what it takes to actually get there. These companies will stifle investment in data and hold data leaders back, both their influence and their career progression.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT:
Call it out; tactfully.
As data leaders it is on us to hold decision makers accountable for their decisions and the data they used to make it. We should encourage transparency around the decision making process and ensure we have a seat at the table when data is being discussed.

👉🏼 See more on this here.

💸 2. Data teams are under-resourced and undervalued

PROBLEM:
Data teams are often seen as a cost centre, not a value creator. Budgets are squeezed, expectations are sky-high, and headcount requests get punted into “next quarter.” Or if you’re like me it’s next decade…

IMPACT:
When your team’s drowning in work and still expected to “add strategic value,” you end up doing reactive, low-impact reporting that convinces everyone they were right not to invest more. It’s a vicious circle that holds you back more than anyone.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT:
Make your wins visible and tie them directly to outcomes the business already cares about: revenue, efficiency, risk reduction, customer experience. Every conversation about data should centre on impact, not outputs.

The message you’re trying to land here is that the data team is a strong value contributor, just like marketing and sales. We’re not just an expense item.

👉🏼 See more on this here.

📞 Research call with datapreneurs.

I’m interested in speaking to data folks who are considering starting a side hustle/business based based on their data skills set OR people who have already taken that leap. I’m keen to hear more about the motivations, desires and challenges of people who are keen to (or have already) start their own thing. This is for my research purposes only.

If you’re happy to chat, please find some time with me here.

🕵🏻‍♀️ 3. Shadow data teams popping up everywhere

PROBLEM:
When the central data team can’t meet demand, other departments start spinning up their own mini data ops. Before long, you’ve got rogue analysts, conflicting metrics, and a Frankenstein stack of tools no one owns. Oh, and every number is being reported differently!

IMPACT:
Chaos. Duplication. Confusion. Suddenly, your team’s reputation tanks because “nothing matches.” Even worse, it’s proof to leadership that you’ve “lost control” of data because others have had to take matter into their own hands.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT:
You can’t stop it completely, but you can shape it.
If a team insists on running its own data projects, bring them closer, not further away.
Offer guidance, set some guardrails, and create shared definitions. Better a loosely federated model than a wild west.

Did you know - I run a book club for Bad Asses?

Each month members vote on a non-fiction book to read together. We also have a private discord channel where we chat about the book and share insights. At the end of the month, we come together for a book club video call. This month, we’re read Quit by Annie Duke.

If you’d like to join the Bad Ass Bookshelf - check it out here.

☎️ 4. The data team has become a service desk

PROBLEM:
You know the drill. Endless Slack messages: “Can you pull this number?” “Can you slice that dashboard by region?” It’s ad hoc hell, and it keeps your team reactive instead of strategic. A.K.A. death by 1,000 paper cuts.

IMPACT:
Morale plummets. Your team stops thinking critically about the business context and starts behaving like report monkeys. You lose credibility as a strategic partner and become the data equivalent of IT support.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT:
Teach your team to ask why. Every time a request lands, train them to understand the business question and strategy behind it. Build processes that triage and prioritise work based on value, not output volume. You’re not there to serve requests, you’re there to shape decisions and solve problems.

👉🏼 See more on this here.

🤝  Work with me in ‘25 (before price rise in ‘26!)

We’re approaching the business end of 2025. If you want to drive it home this year, this is pretty much your last chance to make an impact.

I have a few available spots for 1:1 data leadership coaching, but they won’t last long. Prices will increase in January so take advantage of 2025 pricing now.

If you’d like to explore working with me as your data leadership coach and smash what’s left of 2025 then now is the time to act.

Book a FREE 30 min intro consultation with me here.

🛠 5. Believing every data problem can be solved with more tech

PROBLEM:
Too many leaders think the answer to data challenges is more data tech. If you’ve ever heard “we just need a better tool for this,” you know exactly what I mean. The things is that tools themselves rarely solve problems. They’re a distraction from the actual problem, but nonetheless feel like progress.

IMPACT:
Millions get poured into technology with no real shift in behaviour, culture, or outcomes.
When the ROI doesn’t materialise, confidence in data drops even further. Cue another tool purchase (and probably a new data leader while we’re at it).

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT:
Shift the conversation. Data is a business discipline, not a technical one.
Start with strategy: what are we trying to achieve? Then identify the data needed to support it. Only once you’ve nailed that should you ask, “does this require new tech?” and if so, “what tech do we need?”

Spoiler: it’s usually less than you think.

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Tristan Burns

⚡️ Previous poll results

Last week I asked you: What’s your next big career focus?

Here’s how you responded…

💡 Helpful resources for data professionals:

The Data Leadership Frameworks: This email series containing 10 data leadership frameworks, will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to maximise your effectiveness and become the influential and powerful data leader you know you can be.

DIY Coaching Program: Through a series of 9 self-guided exercises, you’ll clarify your goals, overcome obstacles, and create a plan for your next career move - all at your own pace. 

⚡️Three more ways I can help you:

Private Coaching for Data Leaders: I work with data professionals looking to grow into influential and unstoppable data leaders to help them navigate and overcome the challenges of being a data leader.

Group coaching for Data Teams: Great data teams can make or break businesses. Through my facilitated 6-week group coaching program, together we get to the heart of what is holding teams back and set a course for data-driven success.

Google Analytics, Tagging and Looker Support: Helping teams to set up or optimising their data eco system, generate actionable insights and gain more in-depth knowledge through training.

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