Twice weekly, I share proven strategies to help data scientists get noticed, promoted, and valued. No theory — just practical steps to transform your technical expertise into business impact and the freedom to call your own shots.
"That's Interesting" is NOT a Compliment
|
“Analyse this dataset and come back with any insights you find.” This was one of the first requests I ever received as a data scientist, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t quite understand what it meant. Sure, I understood the “analyse the dataset” part, but at the time, I had no idea what my stakeholder meant when she spoke of “insights”. I interpreted the word as a synonym for “interesting facts”. And that’s exactly how she politely responded when I returned with my findings. “That’s interesting.” Unsurprisingly, my work didn’t drive any change. In fact, I suspect it just got shoved in a drawer, never to be seen again, as soon as I left the room. In the years that followed, I found myself frequently reflecting on that experience and wondering what I did wrong. The answer didn’t come until I eventually read Effective Data Storytelling by Brent Dykes. In it, Brent argues that interesting observations and genuine insights are not the same thing - and the ones that truly matter are those that offer a tangible promise of value, such as increased revenue, cost savings or reduced risk. In the latest episode of Value Driven Data Science, Brent joins me to share the frameworks behind identifying and communicating insights that actually move organisations to act. In this episode, you’ll discover:
If your work keeps ending up in a drawer, this episode will show you where to begin. Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or click the link below: Episode 103: The Art of the Actionable Insight Talk again soon, Dr Genevieve Hayes |
Data Science Impact Algorithm
Twice weekly, I share proven strategies to help data scientists get noticed, promoted, and valued. No theory — just practical steps to transform your technical expertise into business impact and the freedom to call your own shots.
“I haven’t written code by hand in months - and honestly, I don’t want to anymore.” This admission came from one of the most capable data scientists I know. Until recently, he was shipping enterprise-scale code at a top multinational company - without writing a line of it himself. He now builds cutting-edge AI tools for small businesses. For him, understanding the architecture, logic and business context was enough. His ability to hand-code was slowly atrophying, but something new was growing...
The first thing I ever published that attracted any real attention was just after I finished my PhD. I started writing the puzzle page for Actuaries Magazine as a way of filling my suddenly empty weekends. I didn’t expect it to lead to anything. Yet, in the years that followed, people would walk up to me at conferences and want to shake my hand because I was “the puzzle girl”. Once someone even offered me a job because of it. Prof Rob Hyndman, one of the world’s leading applied statisticians,...
Even at the best of times, the world is an uncertain place. Right now, we are far from the best of times. In periods of high uncertainty, people naturally seek out anything that might reduce that uncertainty - even just a little. Politicians understand this instinctively, which is why we've seen so many world leaders addressing their people in recent weeks, with varying degrees of success. The greater the uncertainty, the greater the value of any reduction in it. This principle doesn't stop...