Jess Carter: The crux of data-driven leadership is leadership

What’s harder: “Being” data-driven or “becoming” data-driven? I think it’s the latter. Cue the “it’s about the journey vs. the destination” cliché.

But it’s true.

In my last column, I wrote about how simply engaging in the process of surveying clients has made us more empathetic and curious. It has encouraged us to rely less on assumptions and more on evidence. We’re listening more and talking less. We’re thinking more critically. We’re asking better questions. And the market is demonstrating that cultures that do these things have a huge competitive advantage.

But data-driven cultures don’t happen by accident. And your culture definitely won’t change if data-driven decision-making is relegated to the “few” at the expense of the “many.”

◗ Data-driven decision-making can’t stop at the top.

When it comes to decision-making, the “Moses mentality” is a trap a lot of leaders fall into. We think it’s our job to ascend the mountain, confer with the data, and come back with directions for the organization etched in stone.

But building a data-driven culture is impossible if data-driven decision-making starts and stops at the top. The crux of being a data-driven (or “information-informed”) leader is leadership. It’s about teaching and empowering your team to use data to make their own decisions.

In my world, we call this “data democratization.” It’s the idea that if you give people the right support and tools, you can trust them to use data wisely. When you democratize your data, data-driven decision-making becomes the way people naturally get things done.

◗ Lead “out loud.”

No matter where you are on your own data-driven leadership journey, just start talking about it. This is the easiest and simplest way to invite your team along. The best leaders are those who ask the right questions rather than have the right answers.

So pick a question you have today about your business. Maybe you’re experiencing order fulfillment delays, or maybe you’ve had a recent drop in sales you weren’t expecting. What are you wondering? Seek to understand, solve problems and make decisions “out loud.” Talk about the data you have and that you wish you had.

When you, a data-driven leader, show care in understanding the details, appreciating the data and working with others to determine the right story to tell, people will notice. They’ll learn from you. They’ll feel more comfortable approaching you with questions. They’ll see the strength in your curiosity and commitment to your own journey.

In leadership (and parenting), people don’t do what you say; they do what you do.

◗ Create healthy “heat moments.”

We grow in stress—in rising to the challenge of meeting expectations. In the Tobias Fellowship Program, I was introduced to the concept of “heat moments.”

Heat moments aren’t always in our control, but as a leader, you can create some “healthy heat” by asking your team to start using data to make decisions and then having them walk you through how they came to that decision. This might feel intimidating to them. But that’s OK. This is the space where growth happens.

With repetition, this exercise will create gentle clarity around the expectation that people should be backing up their decisions with information and insights. It can feel a bit “sink or swim” at first, but let them know that you, as their leader, are ready to throw them a raft if they’re foundering.

And they probably will. The process is messy. You’ll need to stay involved. But often we don’t know what we’re truly capable of unless we’re pushed to the edge of our limitations.

◗ Support and push.

Bob Quinn at the Center for Positive Organizations says the best leaders have one hand on your back pushing you and the other hand under your arm supporting you.

My job as a leader is to be “in the data” with my people. This is where some emotional intelligence comes into play. You cannot be aloof in this process. When you ask your team to bring you insights from the data at their disposal, do they look puzzled, clueless or helpless? Are they just nodding along with their eyes glazed over? Are they asking follow-up questions?

This is all data, and these are moments when you might need to offer a hand under their arm in support. Ask your team what they heard. Ask them to walk you through their next steps. Offer to look over their analysis. When you’re asking your team to change their decision-making behavior, you need to be aware and conscious of how they are digesting these changes.

Listen, I’m not asking you to vet their analysis. You don’t need to check their math. Use the knowledge you have about your business to make sure everything checks out. No one is going to do this consistently at first. Data-driven leaders and data-driven cultures take time to build. Don’t get frustrated by little things, or “sweat the small stuff,” as they say.

Through each repetition, ask yourself and the team: What did we learn through this process? Are people getting better at leveraging data to drive informed decisions? Keep leaning in. It’s a journey, and the fact that you made it to the end of this article tells me you’re already doing something right: You care.•

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Carter is host of the Data Driven Leadership podcast and vice president of client experience and delivery operations at Resultant.