šŸ”§ If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

Taking back control as a data leader.

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šŸ„„ Time for a teaspoon of cement.

Data leaders need to harden up. Iā€™m not speaking in terms of mental health or resilience though. Iā€™m talking about how we interact with our colleagues and peers throughout the business.

We need to be more assertive with them šŸ’ŖšŸ»

If youā€™re a data leader, youā€™ve likely felt like your team is treated as a service desk function rather than a strategic partner. Other business divisions dictate your priorities, and leadership expects you to react, rather than contributing strategically.

Itā€™s frustrating, but itā€™s also a problem you can solve.

It do be like thatā€¦

When data leaders take control of their own priorities, they gain influence, drive meaningful change, and position themselves as indispensable. They shape how data is used to create value for the business rather than being stuck in an endless cycle of reactive, low-impact work (weā€™ve all been there!!).

Sadly, many data leaders never break out of this cycle. They continue to be sidelined, their expertise overlooked, and their teams undervalued.

Let me know your thoughts in this weekā€™s poll šŸ‘‡šŸ»

How much control do you have over your data teamā€™s priorities?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

(last weekā€™s poll results are down below)

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We have built such an incredible community that Arnold Schwarzenegger would probably join up if he knew about it (heā€™s a big reader).

Each month, members votes on that monthā€™s book and participate in discussions via our Discord channel sharing their thoughts and insights on the book.

The month culminates with a book club video call.

The best bit? Itā€™s completely free to join.

Weā€™d love to have you - APRIL BOOK ANNOUNCED SOON!!!

šŸ˜¬ The impact(s) of this challenge

If you donā€™t take control of your teamā€™s priorities and assert yourself as a strategic leader, you can expect to experience some or all of the following:

1. Your team remains in a reactive cycle

Instead of working on high-impact initiatives, youā€™re constantly responding to ad-hoc requests. This means that there is little-to-no room for proactive, value-driven work, aka the good stuff!

2. You lose credibility as a leader

If youā€™re seen as someone who simply executes other teamsā€™ demands, you wonā€™t be viewed as an executive peer. Your voice in leadership discussions will carry little weight.

3. Your best talent leaves

Top data professionals want to work on strategic, meaningful projects. If your team is stuck doing low-value tasks, theyā€™ll look for opportunities elsewhere.

4. Your career growth stalls

If youā€™re not demonstrating leadership and impact, youā€™ll struggle to advance to higher roles. Executives who drive strategy get promotedā€”those who only execute do not.

The good news? You can change this. But it requires you to step up, develop a thick skin, and take control.

šŸ¤Æ Last days of my massive deal!

My Self Paced Coaching products are currently 75% OFF - ends midnight on the 31st of March!

  • DIY Coaching - This self-paced email series and accompanying exercises provides actionable tools to help data professionals navigate career transitions, set goals, and achieve success.

  • Data Leadership Frameworks - This self paced email series contains 10 value-packed frameworks, each tackling and tearing down major data leadership challenges.

ACT NOW to take advantage of 75% OFF use promo code: DIY75

šŸ‘©šŸ¼ā€šŸ”§ So hereā€™s whatcha gotta do!

To transition from being seen as a service function to being recognised as a strategic leader, you need to take deliberate action:

1. Assert control over your teamā€™s priorities

You must decide whatā€™s important, not just take orders. This means pushing back on low-value requests and aligning your teamā€™s work with business strategy. If you donā€™t know what the strategy is - ASK!

2. Have tough conversations

Challenge stakeholders who treat your team as a reporting factory. Educate them on the strategic impact of data and negotiate priorities accordingly. If youā€™re working on something big and important, then their ā€œlittleā€ dashboard tweak can wait!

3. Show value through strategic wins

Identify and execute high-impact data projects that clearly demonstrate business value. Once leadership sees the results, theyā€™ll be more likely to respect your decisions and give you the autonomy you need to make them.

4. Build executive allies

The more executive stakeholders see you as a strategic partner, the less theyā€™ll try to dictate your teamā€™s work. Engage them in conversations about dataā€™s role in business growth. Start by understanding their business challenges and frame your value add around helping to solve those.

Many data leaders struggle with these changes on their own. Thatā€™s why I coach data leaders 1:1 to help them navigate tough conversations, build influence, and take control of their teamā€™s priorities. If youā€™re ready to stop being pushed around and start leading strategically, letā€™s talk!

Book a free 1:1 call with me here

šŸ  Community Corner

For this weekā€™s weekā€™s community I bring you news of the Second Edition launch of Jason Foster and Barry Greenā€™s incredible book: Data Means Business: A practical guide to creating value from data and AI

This updated edition goes deeper into AI, culture, ethics, and the key principles of building a high-impact data strategy. It's also packed with practical insights to help you make data work for your business.

If youā€™re interested in checking it out, you can find it here:

šŸ“ŗ Kindle version

Note: the Kindle version is only 99p until the end of today (27th March 2025)

āš”ļø Previous poll results

Last week I asked you:
What is the biggest reason why data products (like dashboards) go unused?

Hereā€™s how you responded:

Profile image of Tristan Burns

Tristan Burns

šŸ’” 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, youā€™ll clarify your goals, overcome obstacles, and create a plan for your next career move - all at your own pace. 

āš”ļø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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