Data Radicals

Whether you’re a whistleblower exposing fraud or a new CDO with uncomfortable insights at an organization, “just the facts” alone won’t convince the crowd. You need buy-in, conviction, and the ability to tell a compelling story.In today’s episode, Dr. Margaret Heffernan, author, professor, and seasoned CEO, shares what she’s learned about leading teams to light. She shares insights on willful blindness, how to make people care about data, and how to build the most productive teams. --------"What's really interesting about whistleblowers is that they're deeply ordinary." - Dr. Margaret Heffernan--------Time Stamps* (0:03) A history of whistleblowers* (2:43) Alice Stewart and a pattern of willful blindness to important data* (9:38) Data alone doesn’t win arguments* (19:59) The psychology of whistleblowers * (27:31) How to be a whistleblower* (30:00) The downside of being a super chicken--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Margaret on LinkedInCheck out Margaret's book Uncharted: How to Map the Future

Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, discusses the evolution of BI, the urgency of increasing data literacy, starting data transformation, competing in the labor market, and the importance of connecting with others outside the organization. She emphasizes the need for data-driven decision-making and shares tips on measuring diversity and promoting inclusion.

Corporate malfeasance is a cold fact. And when companies lie to the public, real people get hurt.Amir Efrati, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of the Information, exposes the truths big firms conceal. His reporting has brought corporations to justice, won numerous awards, and been cited by federal judges. In this episode, Amir discusses the Facebook Papers, controversies around self-driving cars, and the relationship between data-driven decisions and transparency. This one isn't for the faint of heart, and you won’t want to miss it.--------"There was this dissonance between what was privately being shared and what was publicly being announced. People are making life decisions based on completely false assumptions. That's not good for anyone. Investors are investing pension money and other people's money in companies based on what's publicly announced and not what's privately known. That's not good either." - Amir Efrati--------Time Stamps* (0:00) Corporate responsibility vs public good* (3:18) What’s The Information?* (6:31) The inside scoop on the Facebook Papers* (14:51) How to hack humans* (17:12) The secrets of self-driving cars* (23:57) Why the cloud is a trillion dollar industry--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Amir on LinkedInCheck out The Information

The world of data is often elusive and nebulous. And as time goes on, different myths circulate the zeitgeist. Today’s guest walks us through some common myths, and serves as our own personal mythbuster. Michelle Hoiseth, Chief Data Officer of Parexel, uncovers the biggest data challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry, and shares how you too can be a data mythbuster, how you can lead a data journey at your organization, and much more. --------“I use a cartoon still where the top frame is ‘who wants clean data’ and everybody in the crowd has their hand up. Then the next frame is ‘who wants to clean their data’ and everyone's hand is down and they're looking at their shoes—and that was Parexel." - Michelle Hoiseth--------Time Stamps* (0:00) Being a data mythbuster * (2:45) The data problems facing the pharmaceutical industry* (10:42) Embarking on a data journey* (24:10) Lessons learned from a data overhaul* (25:23) A data cultural evolution--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Michelle on LinkedInCheck out Parexel

Anxiety about math. For most Americans, it’s so deeply ingrained it’s practically a personality trait. Unfortunately, this fear can linger in our psyches as we age. But, thankfully, Data Radicals like Caroline Carruthers are here to confront that fear and educate our data-anxious peers.Caroline is the co-author of “The Chief Data Officer's Playbook,” and today she’s explaining why CDOs play a crucial role in building a data-based organization. She shares advice on how to be an effective CDO, and promote data literacy so people embrace data-driven decision making at your company, and much more.--------"Spend time with your stakeholders and talk to them about data. Relax them, take them out for coffee and cake, sit there and just get to know them as a person and ask them about what they're trying to do." - Caroline Carruthers--------Time Stamps* (0:04) Being a data cheerleader* (2:39) How to be an effective CDO* (8:45) Finding your data skillset * (11:59) Turning your stakeholders into Data Radicals* (14:40) Teaching data literacy to your organization* (20:18) Raising the next generation of Data Radicals* (26:23) Meeting people where they are--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Caroline on LinkedInCheck out Carruthers and Jackson

With stories of different space explorations constantly in the news—it’s an exciting time to be a space enthusiast. But with the habitation of Mars seemingly on the horizon it begs the question: is there going to be an HOA on Mars? Figuring out how governance will work on Mars is a logistical problem that just stems more and more questions, not unlike data governance today. Similarly, we’re in the exciting times of data governance, but are still relatively unsure about any of the logistics. Today, Paola Saibene, Principal of Teknion Data Solutions, shares her insights on how to confront data governance head on, transform your organization with data, the future of data, and much more.--------"Protect the people inside of the data. And I don't mean in a cyber sense only, but protect the people by having that care put into how it is being treated all the way post capture." - Paola Saibene--------Time Stamps* (0:00) Data Governance and the Wild Wild West* (3:46) How to help your clients face data challenges* (7:49) What is data governance?* (8:44) The key to certified data* (14:13) How to advocate for data at your organization* (20:21) The future of data work--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Paola on LinkedInCheck out Teknion Data Solutions

We spend our lives surrounded by stories—the ones we hear, read, and watch. Stories are how we learn how to navigate life. Some have played a major role in pivoting how entire industries approach storytelling like The Sixth Sense movie and maybe, if you listen to today’s episode, your next work presentation.Today, we’re hearing from Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, Founder and CEO of storytelling with data. She shares her tips and tricks for data radicals venturing into the world of data storytelling. We’ll learn how to better understand your audience, what makes a data story captivating, how to improve your public speaking skills and much more. --------"There is so much potential for the person who has strong technical skills and can speak in ways that make other people feel engaged and attentive. People will pay more attention to your data if you can talk to them in ways that make them want to keep participating and become part of that discussion." - Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic--------Time Stamps* (0:00) What The Sixth Sense teaches us about data* (3:13) Understanding your audience* (4:45) Building blocks of a compelling data story * (12:16) Why data enthusiasts need strong public speaking skills* (15:28) The secret to being a great data storyteller* (20:50) The importance of feedback--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Cole on LinkedInCheck out storytelling with data

Communication—or lack thereof—tends to be at the core of most of life’s issues. Although most of us know this, few of us set out to create systems to address the problem. Today, we’re learning from two people who did:  L.L. Zamenhof and Bob Seiner.L.L. Zamenhof saw the crucial role words played in dividing people, and wanted to create a language that would unify the world. His language, Esperanto, was born, but unfortunately didn’t catch on. Bob Seiner, President & Principal of KIK Consulting, on the other hand, has had more success. He has seen how miscommunication has negatively impacted how organizations handle data and data governance, and has worked to improve their processes and revolutionize their workflows. Today, he shares his insights with us. You won’t want to miss it.--------"Most organizations think that governance has to be top down, but there is an alternative approach. You can look to leverage things that already exist within your environment first and then apply the heavy-handedness wherever you need to." - Bob Seiner--------Time Stamps* (0:00) What’s Esperanto, and why aren’t we speaking it?* (4:05) How to communicate about data* (8:16) Why your organization is struggling to share data* (11:17) Understanding data governance* (14:27) How to improve data governance at your company* (17:56) The three O’s of data* (20:01) Creating a data culture* (22:03) The future of data--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Bob on LinkedInCheck out KIK Consulting

You may not realize it, but data literacy is an issue that affects everyone. From the mom-and-pop shop around the corner to the Fortune 500 C-suite, everyone has skin in the game. Yet, how to teach data literacy is still not widely understood or prioritized by data leaders. That needs to change, and the first step is listening to today’s episode.We’re talking with Jennifer Belissent, Principal Data Strategist at Snowflake, about tackling data literacy. She shares how data literacy impacts everything from smart cities, to your local grocery store, to your corner office. Tune in to learn how you can use data literacy to build your own data culture, have a lens into your customer's behavior, increase productivity, and much more.--------"Many people are not comfortable with data. We've created the haves and have-nots within an organization. We need to make sure that data literacy programs are inclusive. " - Jennifer Belissent--------Time Stamps* (0:00) What’s happening with data literacy today* (3:28) The inevitability of smart cities* (5:34) Data serves as a lens into people’s behavior* (9:05) How to approach data literacy* (17:04) The CDO’s role in data literacy* (22:55) Creating a data culture* (27:44) Teaching your employees data literacy--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Jennifer on LinkedInCheck out Snowflake

Growing up, we’re all asked what we want to be when we’re older. Our answer is normally met with an explanation of the years of education and dedication we’ll have to go through to get there. Whether it’s trade school, medical school, a PhD, or apprenticeship, we start to understand that we’ll need years of specialized training to get to where we want to be. But what if that whole way of thinking is wrong? Today, we’re learning to completely shift our approach to the understanding of expertise. Our guest is David Epstein, bestselling author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World and The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance. He shares why you should shift your focus from being a specialist to a generalist, and how that can exponentially increase your odds for success. You won’t want to miss it.--------"The people who are good forecasters sometimes have an area of specialty, sometimes they don't, but more important than what they think, is how they think." - David Epstein--------Time Stamps* (0:00) How Satyen became a generalist* (2:52) Why IQ tests aren’t as helpful as you think* (5:53) What makes an environment kind or wicked* (13:23) Getting comfortable with sporadic success* (18:31) The perks of generalization* (22:57) The shortcomings of specialization* (26:36) What we can learn from Vincent Van Gogh--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with David on LinkedInCheck out David's website