CDO Matters Ep. 20 | Happy Hour with Scott Taylor
CDO Matters Podcast
The Importance of Culture Change
"When you make results dependent on culture change, you are doomed to fail," he says. "I view it as like exhaust on a car, right? But it's not the fuel." If there was one thing that I would ask CDOs to take away from this episode, Scott and I drinking beer and ranting, thank you. Well, buy you one next time.
What happens when you get two modern data experts in a room to talk shop over a beer? Let’s find out!
In celebration of the 20th episode of the podcast, Malcolm sits down again with the guest who kicked things off on Episode 1 of the CDO Matters podcast, Scott Taylor (aka. The Data Whisperer). Malcolm hosted Scott for a casual chat in his Florida home to catch up and talk all things data over drinks. Throughout the episode, the two discuss current trends, issues and observations about the data space.
Topics of conversation include:
• A retrospective of the CDO Matters podcast
• Data storytelling and finding a unique voice within the industry
• Lessons and tips for current and aspiring CDOs
• The importance of data messaging
• Upcoming events and appearances
And so much more!
Key Moments
[3:00] Looking Back at Episode 1 on Data Storytelling
[10:00] Bringing a Unique Voice to the Data Conversation
[15:30] The Failure in Data Management Consulting Today
[23:12] Lessons for CDOs from Scott and Malcolm’s Travel Consulting
[28:05] Reformatting Data Message Delivery
[31:15] Misconceptions about Organizational ‘Culture Change’
[35:50] Separating Data from Analytics: Analytical vs. Operational
[41:06] Scott’s Upcoming Data Plans and Appearances
Key Takeaways
Delivering a Data Narrative in a Unique Voice (10:00)
“I hope I am bringing a unique voice to the [data] space. That was the whole goal [with the podcast]. One of the reasons why I wanted Scott to be guest number one and why I’m thrilled that he’s guest number 20…I wanted this to be a different voice. I’ve been in the data space for a long time. A lot of what I see…is the same old messaging over and over and over…the conclusion that I came to is that the way we’re delivering the message is wrong…what I was seeing from Scott was him delivering the message in a very different way through storytelling.” — Malcolm Hawker
Separating Data and Analytics: Operational vs. Analytical Use Cases (38:20)
“Going back to analytical versus operational, I don’t know how you throw those into siloes. It doesn’t make any sense to me. What I see happen is when you give the keys to domains or groups or functions or departments to come up with their own analytics…they’ll create their own rules and their own data definitions and their own data quality rules and dashboards…and maybe that freedom is good, but then you have to operate cross-functionally to move a contract out of sales and into finance or move the product from manufacturing into marketing…and then, what happens?” — Malcolm Hawker
Selling Leadership on a Data Solution (31:20)
“When you’re going for funding [on a data project] and you’re back at saying that some version of this latest, greatest thing is going to fix all of the problems that I told you we were going to fix…the same as the last time. And so you’ve got, I believe on the business side, a certain amount of cynicism and weariness…And I don’t think it helps that, as data people, we come barging in there talking with selective amnesia…pretending that we never said that our previous approach would solve the problem.” — Scott Taylor
About Scott Taylor
Scott Taylor, also known as The Data Whisperer, has helped countless companies by enlightening business executives to the strategic value of master data and proper data management. He focuses on business alignment and the “strategic WHY” rather than system implementation and the “technical HOW.” At MetaMeta Consulting he works with Enterprise Data Leadership teams and Innovative Tech Brands to tell their data story.
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