19 Tips for Becoming a Chief Data Officer
June 7, 2016 11:37 AM
INN sister brand Information Management asked several top data executives what it takes to get and keep their job. Here is their collective advice on what skills you need to rise to the top in data management.
Put Business Needs First
Leandro DalleMule, chief data officer, AIG, New York, NYBe business-focused first and technology- or data management- or analytics-focused second. Naturally, the majority of the people who become interested in CDO roles will come from IT or analytics areas and that is where companies recruit them from, anyway! So there is a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy at play here. However, my best CDO hire to date (for a regional CDO role) came from operations and worked as CFO for a regional business within the company prior to taking the CDO role. While he initially had limited technical knowledge about data management, he brought in practical knowledge about data. And those are very different things.
Be a Good Listener
Allison Sagraves, chief data officer, M&T Bank, Buffalo, NYThe biggest piece of advice I would give is to demonstrate excellent problem-solving and communication skills. This broadly encompasses being a good listener and understanding your customers' business problems, then having the ability to execute on solutions that provide demonstrable business value. It is not about the data, it is about how data can be used to solve problems.
Be a Problem Solver
Jacklyn Osborne, Americas chief data officer, HSBC, Stamford, CTProblem solving and focus on delivery are key. Data tends to be very theory-oriented. The key difference for me is knowing not just the what but the how.'"
Champion Modern Analytics
Srinivasan Sankar, data officer/practice leader, The Hanover Insurance Group, Boston, MAMost import is to lead the change and adopt the shift from traditional analytics to modern analytics. CDOs should work very well with the business stakeholders and ensure IT delivers right framework for modern analytics delivery. CDOs should be passionate about data and emerging technologies that prepare them to be successful in their job. Suggest, sell and support big ideas. Provide emphasis on the "Data Discovery" process early on in the information delivery.
Be a Lifelong Learner
Annie Flippo, senior data scientist, AwesomenessTV, Santa Monica, CABe a lifetime learner. If you're going to be in the field of data science, whether that is at a junior associate through to chief officer level, you should have an innate desire to learn. I usually look at what the person has learned or what book/articles s/he have read recently.
Have a Business Strategy
Leandro DalleMule, chief data officer, AIG, New York, NYBeing business savvy also enables the CDO to sustain engaging and fruitful conversations with other senior execs across the company, which should then be translated to his data management team. I controversially advocate that there is no such a thing as a data strategy; there exits only a business strategy which should be followed and enabled by a data program. If you are a solely a technical person from a data management perspective, it will be nearly impossible to understand the business strategy and connect it with your data program.
Cultivate Your Credibility
Joan Dal Bianco, SVP/head, U.S. Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO), New YorkCredibility is crucial. The CDO function is still a new function in most organizations so the ability to demonstrate in prior roles that you were able to define the direction of a newly created function, that you were able to be successful in bringing "chaos to calm" in other roles (data related or not) is very important. In it's early stages, there is a significant sales role to be done to bring the organization along, and then the ability to execute. Prior experiences will help with demonstrating this credibility.
Be Comfortable With Conflict
Fawad Butt, chief data governance officer, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CAThe role is designed to be disruptive, and as most such roles disruption creates friction and conflict. It is critical for CDOs to have the ability to operate in conflict zones, in a very natural way. Risk and conflict averse personalities tend to have difficulty thriving in the role.
Be Passionate, But Patient
Jacklyn Osborne, Americas chief data officer, HSBC, Stamford, CTShow passion and dedication. Success with data is not a sprint. It is a marathon and it takes time dedication and commitment.
Know How Data Will Be Used
Leandro DalleMule, chief data officer, AIG, New York, NYAs importantly as knowing how to source, standardize, and govern data, a CDO must fully understand how data will be provisioned and consumed by his or her business colleagues across the company; and this skillset is normally found outside IT, in finance, operations and marketing areas.
Know the Business Priorities
Brian Baczyk, head of enterprise risk management/chief data officer, Conning, Hartford, CTMy advice would be understand the priorities of the business, articulate how improved data management / analytics will further those priorities, find senior executive support, and be prepared to sell. A CDO is an agent of change in an organization. That is never an easy job.
Develop a Diverse Background
Fawad Butt, chief data governance officer, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CAToday, CDOs come from diverse backgrounds and have similarly diverse experiences. The role requires individuals to have an understanding of a number of disciplines including data management, people management, and lastly change management. Candidates can differentiate themselves by having experiences across these disciplines and by not being one dimensional e.g technology experience only.
Build Business Acumen
Joan Dal Bianco, SVP/head, U.S. Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO), New YorkKey characteristics for the role of CDO include broad business acumen along with data expertise. The CDO shouldn't be just a very technical role. The leader needs to be able to communicate well with business and control function peers, so having a broad understanding of how a business runs and the strategic direction of the organization to better align the data strategy is key.
Forge Strong Relationships
Jacklyn Osborne, Americas chief data officer, HSBC, Stamford, CTInfluencing skills are very important. Data is an enterprise asset. A key to its success is having strong relationships across business and it. Partnership and influence are therefore key."
Master Process and Modeling
Derek Strauss, chief data officer, TD Ameritrade, Dallas, TXA CDO needs a good understanding of business processes, enterprise architecture and data modeling, plus the ability to tell stories (using Agile User Story format is a good place to start).
Be An Information Enabler
Leandro DalleMule, chief data officer, AIG, New YorkSimply put, the CDO is the enabler of usable, accurate, and timely information for decision making through cleansed, standardized, and connected data, external and internal to the organization. The CDO needs the skill sets, background and personality to be the connective tissue between the demand and capabilities of systems/technology and corporate functions/business units.
Communicate Clearly and Constantly
Annie Flippo, senior data scientist, AwesomenessTV, Santa Monica, CACommunication skills are vital. This is the only skill I can think of that is not being taught in a data science bootcamp or graduate level in any of the science or engineering fields, and yet it is one of the most important skills. It doesn't really matter how technical you are if you don't understand business needs or customer needs and cannot convey your insights to your audience then no amount of great data science will help. I look for the person who have demonstrated his/her communication skills in the past.
Embrace Change Management
Joan Dal Bianco, SVP/head, U.S. Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO), New YorkChange management skills - especially in financial institutions are very important. Data has been key all along for financial institutions, but it is new to start thinking about the organization as a large data company. It may require businesses to rethink how they run their business and the CDO has to help them to define how to do that.
Be Prepared to Take Risks
Annie Flippo, senior data scientist, AwesomenessTV, Santa Monica, CABalance risk versus rewards. I think this might fall under both "Fail Fast" and "Grit - Don't Give Up" guiding principles being touted in the business world lately. As you gain more seniority in this field, you will need to balance on how much effort it takes to find actionable insights. Since budget, human and time resources are always limited, you'll need to strike a balance and not burn your entire budget in finding only a handful of insights that solves a small portion of the business issues.