The Chief Data Officer's Playbook

Caroline Carruthers, Peter Jackson

• Verlag: Facet Publishing
• Jahr: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781783304769
• Auflage: 2
• Thema: Negocios y empresa
• Thema: Gestión de la información

This fully revised and updated edition of the bestselling Chief Data Officer's Playbook offers new insights into the role of the CDO and the data environment. Written by two of the world's leading experts in data driven transformation, it addresses the changes that have taken place in 'data', in the role of the 'CDO', and the expectations and ambitions of organisations. Most importantly, it will place the role of the CDO into the context of a c-suite player for organisations that wish to recover quickly and with long-term stability from the current global economic downturn.

New coverage includes:

• the evolution of the CDO role, what those changes mean for organisations and individuals, and what the future might hold
• a focus on ethics, the data revolution and all the areas that help readers take their first steps on the data journey
• new conversations and experiences from an alumni of data leaders compiled over the past three years
• new chapters and reflections on being a third generation CDO and on working across a broad spectrum of organisations who are all on different parts of their data journey.

Written in a highly accessible and practical manner, The Chief Data Officer's Playbook, Second Edition brings the most up-to-date guidance to CDO's who wish to understand their position better; to those aspiring to become CDO's; to those who might be recruiting a CDO and to recruiters to understand an organisation seeking a CDO and the CDO landscape.

1

The accidental entrepreneur

You know those dreams you have when you are a kid, before you realise that the moon isn’t made of cheese and there is only so much your dad and superglue can fix? Well, for me one of those dreams was to be an author. Putting words down on paper has always felt more like a joy than a job (until you get to the editing process and please don’t get me started on that). I have to be honest and say that The Chief Data Officer’s Playbook isn’t the kind of book that young me envisaged writing. However, the night we had our book launch was literally one of the proudest moments of my working life.

It all started at a data conference – where else? When Peter and I were talking at a conference about writing a book together I assumed that the suggestion would be one of those great ideas that fade in the light of the real world. Only this one didn’t, it became a persistent thought that would lead me and Peter down a path neither one of us would foresee. That book became The Chief Data Officer’s Playbook, which was our summation of all the things a CDO needed to know, and it resonated with so many of our colleagues and future data leaders that we were humbled by the response to it. We realised that we had missed something. It was great that the first book was a data book for data leaders, but what about the other leaders? Hence we wrote our second book, Data Driven Business Transformation, to help spread the message. Then the world shifted so fast in the data space we felt compelled to update The Chief Data Officer’s Playbook (the book you have in your hands, in case you were wondering) to make sure that it stayed relevant to the world around us.

Somewhere along the line we were asked for advice from people and companies that we really wanted to help, but with us both in full-time employment it was literally impossible to help everyone and still do a decent job for the people who were paying us, so we knew something had to change. Peter and I have an awfully wonderful habit of feeding ideas off each other and jumping into deep water, and so the idea of ‘Carruthers & Jackson’ as a company was born. (Actually, the idea of a company was born, the name came about because I won the coin toss!)

It’s been around two years since I left the safety of full-time employment in order to run our business, while Peter works full time as an awesome data leader (but don’t tell him I said that, as his head is big enough already), but it wasn’t until I did an interview about a year in and was asked what it felt like to be an entrepreneur that it struck me that I was one. That hadn’t formed my thinking at all; I had been so focused on what I needed to do (anyone who knows me can tell you I can be a little driven when I get focused on something), indeed on what I felt compelled to do, that I hadn’t realised I had jumped off a massive cliff – I’d just been too busy swimming.

My head was so full of the possibilities of what we could be that I didn’t stop to focus but effectively set up three companies (because why wouldn’t you?!): a data consultancy so we could help the organisations who were asking for our help, delivering practically on the advice we give in our books to help transform businesses of all kinds; a data conference called ‘Datatalks’, which is focused on the positive future that data can bring and inspiring leaders to help create it; as well as the education wing to spread data literacy at all levels.

Now it is only right and proper to stop for a moment to explain that no one starts a business on their own. As well as having Peter with me, I have had a literal army of support around me and could not have done it without them. My family should go without saying, but I am going to say it anyway: they have been fabulous. Emma Corbett was the first hire I made and she has been a blessing, a brilliant sounding board who is happy to tell me when she thinks I’m talking nonsense (which is hardly ever …) and a pillar of strength when needed. Jez and Matt from Eden Smith were there for me from the start, setting up the consultancy, and have been on an awesome journey with me already! These are just some of the awesome characters who have made a massive difference to the success of Carruthers & Jackson.

The following are some of my highlights, of which there have been many:

•  Receiving some documents to review from one of the first organisations we went in to help. When we first started we worked with them on their data journey and created a data strategy and roadmap for them. We have continued to do a few days’ coaching each month to keep them on track. I looked at the documents and compared them to what I had first read a year ago and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. The comparison was like night and day, to see how far they had come on their data maturity journey. I did and still do feel like a very proud parent.

•  Being at a conference where I heard my own voice (that is an interesting one, trust me) and turned around to see my face on a giant screen behind me. I’m so pleased that there was no one there to take my picture; I think I would have looked like the typical rabbit-in-the-headlights pose! I had just finished developing a set of data literacy courses with QA Consulting, ranging from an online basic course through to helping executives understand the value of data and what they can do with it, and I hadn’t even see the completed outputs. QA had loved the videos I had done as part of the basic data literacy course so much that they were using snippets from them to showcase their courses, hence why I was looking at a huge screen with my face on it talking to the crowd.

•  Standing on stage at my own conference where, over the years we have discussed everything from data and Neanderthals, through Edison torturing animals to make a point about AC electricity, to the importance of small data. We have had the audience in tears and a standing ovation (yes, at a data conference).

•  Working with public and private sector organisations in four continents (I’ll leave you to figure out which ones I haven’t taken Carruthers & Jackson to yet). We have worked with organisations of 100 people and multinational corporates, and it is all the people who come to us as recommendations from people we have already worked with that makes me so proud.

•  Meeting the graduates from the Chief Data Officer Summer School. Summer School is a free course we run once a year (over the summer, in case the clue in the title isn’t clear) and is our way of spreading knowledge and helping to connect current and future data leaders so they can learn not only from us but from each other. I literally get goosebumps every time someone introduces themselves and tells me they are one of our graduates. Seeing the graduates move into data leader roles again makes me the proudest work parent that ever lived. I do put blood, sweat and passion into what I do, and to see it working with people growing into or enhancing themselves as data leaders makes it all worth it.

•  Delivering a lecture with Peter on the Orient Express after spending a few days in Venice – I had to pinch myself to believe I was actually doing that one. In fact, we gave a presentation on the Orient Express as it travelled under the Alps. Peter stood there still like he was standing on a rock and I was slightly less steady on my feet (I’m clumsy at the best of times) and at one point he had to grab hold of my arm to stop me falling onto the piano.

•  Getting bitten by a lion (it was a lion cub, well 10 months old, but don’t let that ruin the story. It sounds better when I say I was bitten by a lion). While I was in Johannesburg to speak at a conference with Peter we went to a wildlife park. The day was literally amazing, with one of the most beautiful backdrops in nature I have ever witnessed and beautiful, incredible creatures roaming in their natural habitat. Who knew being a data cheerleader would take me there?!

Lows – I’m a glass nearly full kind of person, so I don’t really dwell on the not so good stuff, but I do like to learn from it.

There have been times when I literally felt I was too busy to breathe, and that isn’t good for anyone. It’s so true that no matter how much you do in a start-up there is always more to do. I have had to learn to prioritise – and quickly – when what I really wanted to do was everything. I’m the type of personality that thrives on having lots to do and loves change; when I get like that, then something has to give. I have learned to prioritise and share the workload a bit.

You need to understand that there is a big difference between what people say and what will actually happen. They aren’t being disingenuous in most cases, rather, thinking out loud. So you have to make sure that you have a clear understanding and signed commitments before carrying out work or thinking you have a handle on what is really going to happen.

It’s a sad fact that big companies are terrible at paying on time. For them it’s no big deal, but for a smaller company it can be a very big deal, and at one point early on it was a very, very big deal to me personally. Thankfully, it all came good in the end and this lack of speed in paying up has been factored into my thinking. I still don’t like it, but I can work with it.

So, how does working with multiple clients differ from being an internal data leader?

People really do listen more to external consultants. Yes, I know it is annoying when you have been saying something for what feels like forever and you can never seem to get that traction – and then a consultant swans in and utters the same words and people act like it’s a revelation. I have credibility from the books and speaking on the radio, but I love working with the internal teams, who normally deserve more credit than they get on a day-to-day basis. I get it, I really do. I also talk to my clients about it, the team that I am working with, as they normally have some brilliant ideas and some things they know will make a difference, so we can work together to blend all the messages together to get them what they really need. A lot of what I do focuses on transparency, and it’s important to be transparent yourself, to be honest about this sort of thing happening and to use it to your advantage. Working together as a matrix team combines expertise about your organisation and a much wider perspective to help you see things that sometimes you can be too close to.

The other side of this is that sometimes things can seem like an overwhelming problem and it’s easier to put the rock back in place than to try to fix what is underneath. One of the things we have focused on is helping to deliver real, tangible, pragmatic value, and – while this is an old cliché, it’s still extremely relevant – helping people to eat the elephant one bite at a time. The real trick, however, is not the first bite, but knowing where to start, and that’s why it’s worth working from a perspective that has had to start a lot of different elephants. I never make the mistake of just assuming I have all the answers; that would just be plain hubris. It’s important to get to know the organisations and the people, but I have a bigger ‘bag of tricks’ to dip into, since I have started (and completed) a large number of data transformations.

Acting as a challenging friend means that I can tell you things that maybe you don’t find terribly comfortable about your organisation. My job isn’t on the line (yes, the consulting wing of the business makes our money, but one of our guiding principles is about ‘doing the right thing’ even if that means walking away, telling you that someone else can do a piece of the job better, or basically just telling you how it is because you need to hear the bad as well as the good). That means that I get to tell the uncomfortable truth sometimes – not to be harsh, but to hold the mirror up and help you understand where you are, so that you can change for the better.

Conversely, I find that organisations do tend to be very negative about themselves. Sometimes when we first run workshops it can feel like a therapy session; we have to remind you to think about the good as well as the bits you want to change. We haven’t worked anywhere yet where there wasn’t at least a flame of something positive just waiting to be fanned. It can just be hard to see that when you are living in it, and that’s a part of what I get to do that I really love – finding the hidden data cheerleaders and giving them a voice.

I get to work with some phenomenal people, teams and organisations. For someone like me who loves to solve problems, being able to get involved and help, I don’t think there is a better role out there. While it’s great to be considered an expert, you can never know every single thing and I absorb knowledge constantly. I learn from every question I am asked and from each nuance to every problem we tackle. It helps to make me better, which in turn helps you. I can draw from a wealth of broad sector and industry experience to help you get to where you need to be, faster, and that is just exciting to me.

So, back to being an accidental entrepreneur. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I am so pleased that I didn’t realise what I was doing and think about all the things that could have gone wrong, otherwise I might not have jumped. I can’t wait to see what comes next: hopefully, many more organisations to help with improving their data maturity and data strategy; making sustainable change achievable; many more summer school graduates; and, most importantly, many more data cheerleaders.

If you’d indulge me I’d also like to offer some advice to anyone who would like to follow on a similar path. As the title of this chapter implies, I didn’t have a career plan that meant I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and I still have conversations with my son about not knowing what I want to be when I grow up; so if you are one of those people who have a plan laid out and you know what you want, then I salute you. I find that awe inspiring and something that I could simply not do.

What has driven me is the desire to solve problems; and to solve different problems I have always needed to know more, to have more pieces of different jigsaws to blend together into different solution pictures.

Some people would describe the desire to constantly strive to know more as being that of a lifelong learner, but I’m not a fan of that phrase. ‘Learning’ makes you think of cold classrooms, being forced to read textbooks and write on chalkboards (for those of a certain age!). But that’s not what that thirst for knowledge feels like. When I seek out new information, I feel like I’m exploring. I read, listen, watch. Then I try, inevitably fail, and learn from my mistakes. The most important lesson I ever learned was to explore knowledge with anyone who is generous enough to share it with me.

The rather eclectic mix of books on my bedside table reflects the best piece of advice I could give to anyone: let your curiosity lead! Early on in my career, I tried to fit in and learn how people did things by simply following their lead and their orthodoxies. But then I found that the most effective way to really progress and perfect your skills is to understand things at your own pace and let a thirst for knowledge lead your development.

Career development shouldn’t be linear. How can you know what you’re good at if you don’t try new things? On my bookshelf I’ve got books on psychology and food, business practice and fiction. Just because you’ve found something you’re good at, it doesn’t mean you should forego all of your other interests. You shouldn’t allow yourself to settle for something. Rather, you should always be looking to expand your knowledge and branch out into new areas. This will help your career to progress, but it will also help you progress as a well-rounded person.

So, my advice to anyone is, don’t limit yourself. Never be afraid to wander a different path or let your curiosity lead you somewhere unexpected. Knowledge is knowledge, and even if it’s not obviously useful today, it could be a game changer further down the line.

2

A reflection on the first 300 days

As we talk about the first 100 and 300 days and I have completed this cycle a few times now, I thought sharing what I have learnt during the more recent iterations would be useful. A while ago I found that the LinkedIn algorithm had been sending out notices to my friends and colleagues informing them that I was celebrating my first anniversary at Southern Water. First, thank you to everyone who sent me best wishes on this event; and second, it was a celebration. I thoroughly enjoyed my first year at Southern Water, a fascinating and exciting place to work, which is going through many positive changes. For me as Southern Water’s first CDO it was a challenging year, full of opportunity and learning.

It was a busy year. It now seems odd to reflect that halfway through the year the first edition of The Chief Data Officer’s Playbook was published and I am now writing a chapter in the second edition. Several of the chapters in the first edition were pertinent to my first year at Southern Water:

Chapter 3 The first 100 days

Chapter 4 Delivering a data strategy in the cauldron of BAU

Chapter 5 Avoiding the hype cycle

Chapter 8 Building the Chief Data Officer team

One of the key things a new CDO should do at the end of the first 100 days, before they embark on the next 300 days, is to reflect. So here goes....