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READ TIME: 6 MINUTES
When the recipe calls for it.
Sometime, to get what you need, you just gotta ask. Even when asking feels extremely uncomfortable.
For reason unknown to me, big supermarkets in the UK close promptly at 4pm on Sundays. This leaves disorganised and poorly stocked, small town folk like me with few options other than the odd mini-mart with a veggie section that could best be described as a retirement village for organic matter of advanced age.
Unfortunately for me, the delicious looking instagram recipe I’d saved for Chinese style chicken breast called for copious amounts of ginger. And we were fresh out. And so was the mini-mart (blessing in disguise?)
Lo and behold, right next door was a fairly nasty looking, miscellaneous asian food takeaway place, with absolutely 0 customers. Could I?
Contrary to my online persona, I’m more introverted than I like to admit. I must have spent five minutes building up the courage to ask, much like Oliver Twist, “please sir can I have some ginger?”
At first they seemed delighted to see a customer — I might have been their only one in weeks. That initial reaction soon turned to irritation when they realised I wasn’t hear to purchase a stir fry and some spring rolls, but to beg for one of their kitchen ingredients.
But after some incredulous conversations took place beyond the vinyl strip curtains separating ‘customer’ from whatever they were doing in the kitchen, my hero emerged wielding the largest chunk of ginger I’ve ever seen. Placing it in my hand and motioning that I now shoo with the back of his hand.
“Dude, this is way too much. I only need this much”, I said defensively as a I made a small circle between my thumb and forefinger”. “At least let me give you some money for it.”
“It’s fine”, he said as he disappeared out back again.
I know it’s only a small thing, but I felt triumphant clasping my Jurassic sized chunk of ginger that will no doubt out live me and be passed on to my children’s children.
I was reminded of an important lesson that evening. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
When I speak with data leaders in my coach practice, I’m shocked at how many I encounter that know what they want from their careers, but haven’t told their managers or peers. They keep these wishes to themselves, hoping the ‘universe’ will somehow deliver.
I’m not an astrologist, but I do believe in saying out loud what you want, and saying it to people who can actually do something about it.
That’s what today’s edition is about. Let’s dive in.
(Oh and the meal was banging. HMU on LinkedIn if you want the link)
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If you don’t ask, the answer is always NO.
Data leaders are brilliant at solving other people's problems. But when it comes to their own careers, that same rigour goes out the window. Most I speak to haven't seriously asked themselves where they want to be in three to five years, what kind of leader they want to become, or what they'd regret not having tried. The career happens to them rather than one they're actively shaping.
AI makes this more urgent, not less. As more of the technical layer gets automated, the question of where you add value and how you want to lead becomes harder to dodge. The data leaders who will thrive are the ones who've thought carefully about what they bring beyond the tools. The ones who haven't will find the ground shifting faster than expected.
When that's the case, a few predictable things follow:
They stay stuck longer than they need to. Without a clear direction, there's no filter for what opportunities to pursue and which to ignore. Everything looks equally valid, which means nothing is prioritised.
They become easy to overlook. Managers and sponsors tend to advocate for the people who've made their ambitions clear known. If you haven't told anyone what you want, don't be surprised when someone else gets the conversation you deserved. There is no promotion without self promotion.
They optimise for comfort over growth. When there's no destination in mind, the default is to keep going on your current path. Might be great, might not be. Is it what you really want though?
They mistake busyness for progress. A full calendar and a long to-do list can feel like productivity and momentum. But without intentional direction, it's just random movement.
Quick Poll
When did you last have a serious conversation with your manager about your career direction?
What you gonna do about it?
The first step isn't straight up asking for what you want. It's figuring out what that is.
This sounds obvious. But it’s not all that common. Many data leaders have never sat down and seriously asked themselves where they want to be in three to five years, what kind of leader they want to become, or what they'd regret not having tried.
If that's you, start there: I built the Career Compass as a free resource to help data leaders get clearer on exactly this. It gives you a structured way to reflect on where you are, where you want to go, and what's currently getting in the way. Its a series of actionable worksheets emailed to you daily to get you on your way.
Once you have that clarity, the next step is straightforward but also uncomfortable: saying exactly what you want, out loud. To your manager. To a sponsor. To someone in your network who's already where you want to be. You don't need a polished pitch, but you do need to vocalise it to the right folks.
If you want support working through this in a more structured way, career direction is something I work through regularly with clients in my data leadership coaching practice. Sometimes it helps to have someone in your corner who's navigated this themselves and helped many others with it too.
The ginger didn’t appear in my hand until I walked through that door and asked for it. Your next career move works the same way.
Peace.
📨 Forward this to your buddies in data who need this right now.
Working with a data leadership coach
If you’re a senior data leader and something in this week’s newsletter resonated, I work 1:1 with people in exactly this position, on the specific challenges you're dealing with right now.
Free resources:
Data Leadership Playbook · Data Career Compass · Data Leader Assessment
P.S. For anyone who made it this far. I’m currently writing a book (with a real publisher and everything) and I’m documenting my journey over on my brand new(ish) instagram account. I have a few followers but I’m growing nicely. Would love to have you also.
Tristan Burns
Find me on LinkedIn