At a recent leader conference, an instructor bragged that AI lets students “jump the first two bands of Bloom” and skip group dynamics to “get more done.” The room didn’t nod; it shifted. What’s marketed as efficiency is the quiet deletion of maintenance—the slow, social work that makes leadership possible.

Employees have been encouraged to ‘automate their roles’ to demonstrate self-direction and continuous learning. In the past, an employee's skills, motivation, and business interests determined the pace of change. Soon, the pace may be beyond their control, risking job loss before they can adapt to consider the next set of problems. If they can’t find problems faster than the pace of automation, they are not adequately prepared for transition.

As we continue to drive data projects, familiar challenges begin to present themselves. By observing, we can become better diagnosticians of systemic issues. Learn what to avoid and how to navigate them better.

People who work in data management are particularly dedicated problem solvers. They are committed to the mission in a way that makes them want to make the initiative successful. Most examples featured in the book reflect what happens in a specific type of data project -- a team-based project with stakeholders recruited from across the organization, including outside partnerships.

Book Excerpt: While a fully funded budget that supports data as a service is an integral part of a data transformation’s financial picture, few are fully staffed or funded. Three-quarters of executives confirm their organization now has some form of data strategy (however rudimentary), but a paltry 16% say they have the skills and capabilities necessary to deliver it.[1] Even though the average staffing budget is growing yearly, finding the skills and capabilities to execute data projects is becoming harder and harder.

Book Excerpt: Data has traditionally been managed by a combination of information technology (IT), Operations, and Finance. Over the last ten to fifteen years, the chief data officer (CDO) role has come onto the executive scene. While not yet a universal title, the role of the CDO started by reporting through these functions and is beginning to be considered separate.