Centric Chicago’s Data & Analytics team launched a community of interest for high-level leaders in the space and business executives with a passion for data. We share some key takeaways from the gathering.
July 6, 2022, Chicago, IL — Our Chicago team built this community to facilitate collaboration between data-minded leaders facing similar business challenges and opportunities. On June 9, the group hosted its inaugural in-person event, where 12 Data & Analytics executives gathered at a venue in Downtown Chicago.
This event focused on elevating the value of data at your organization so you can consider it as an enterprise asset. Everyone is talking about data and its importance these days. However, leaders of both IT and business continue to struggle to convey its advantages to their organization. Leaders continue to fight for the investments they need to create value through data.
As our panelists discussed this topic with attendees, three key themes emerged on how to change perceptions around data from a cost to an asset:
- Find champions – Tried and true. Identify a small cohort of like-minded colleagues, or even one passionate business leader who not only wants to drive their business through information and insights but is also willing to spread the word about the value they are getting. Leverage your shared success to generate energy and enthusiasm around the benefits of information and insights. The key here is to focus first on the value achieved, not what you built.
- Show them what you’ve got – Impactful and accurate insights delivered in a time of need often make those who don’t have them say “Hey, I want that!” or “Why can’t I have that, too?” One of the best ways to convey the value of data is to share insights where you know you need them in order to create buzz. When people want what you have, they’ll invest in the resources to get it.
- Know who you are trying to influence – People generally fall into two main groups regarding attitudes towards data:
- Those looking to use data to fix pain and fear. Think about things like fixing inaccuracies and inconsistencies and protecting security and privacy.
- Those looking to use data to drive business benefits. Think about driving revenue and improving profitability.
Talk to your audience about what is important to them. Keep this in mind when presenting your data, and remember that the same solutions can often solve for both mindsets.
During this collaborative discussion, members of the community shared their own experiences with getting data prioritized at their organization as well as gathered new perspectives from executives facing the same roadblocks.
Centric Chicago’s Data & Analytics Team will continue to co-host D&A Community of Interest events throughout the year. We gather once each quarter to break down topics such as data fabric, data privacy, data quality, cloud-native capabilities, real-world data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and more. The group discusses real use cases around these topics and how our members are creating business value through information.
Are you a director-level or higher business leader in the Chicago area? Interested in getting involved in our D&A Community of Interest? Check out this link to learn more.
