If you were entering the job market in the early 90s, most job descriptions included “Macintosh experience” or “excellent PC skills” in their preferred qualifications. This quickly became a requirement for even the most non-technical jobs, forcing people across every industry and age group to adapt with the changing times, or risk getting left behind.
Make Data a Cornerstone of Your Team
Corporate leaders are becoming convinced of the impact that effective data collection and analysis can have on the bottom line. Many are investing heavily in hiring talent with data skills, but there’s a lot you can do to improve data skills among existing employees without spending a ton of money on expensive consultants or full-time data experts. Early executive buy-in on becoming a more data-driven company is paramount. Lead by example. Take your weekly Monday morning all hands meeting – it’s a great opportunity to highlight new successes based on data analysis. Another way to make data top of mind is to display it all over the office. Install a TV showing a few data dashboards. Is real-time web traffic an important metric for the team to keep an eye on? Load up a dashboard from Google Analytics and have it always running. As people start to understand the importance of thinking through the lens of data, many will display a personal desire to learn new data skills.