Using data to drive teams

Leaders may often wonder how they can create growth within their organization or company. As an educator, I develop a culture of achievement within my classroom. This is a form of leadership that will definitely carry over to business ventures. One way to generate a sense of accomplishment is to share data. Data can drive a team to meet exceptional goals in particular areas. This could be on task performance or output. Reviewing the data helps give the team a sense of direction and a checkpoint to monitor the current state of reality. Let’s look at some tips for making data accessible to your team.

make it current

It is important to have a data tracking system that facilitates the retrieval of current information. This will help make decisions that accurately address current situations. This system could be an expensive program or a Google spreadsheet. Whichever system you use should be easy to follow. After choosing a system or program and determining what you’ll be monitoring, be sure to regularly check in on progress. Some examples of data to access include: sales, production performance, salary increases, market data. All this must be considered.

keep it simple

While numbers and formulas can be a wonderful tool, you need to present the data in a way that’s digestible to your audience. If a chart is used, make sure it’s labeled and your team understands where the analytics are coming from. This will allow your data gathering to be efficient. While you should be sure that your employees or team members are highly skilled and intelligent, it’s not fair to assume that everyone has a Ph.D. in economics.

make it relatable

Numbers will just be numbers unless colleagues understand their meaning. There are many types of employees, and if I have a colleague who is similar to me, they will want to understand the social implications of the data. It’s not always about the bottom line; it can also be about the “why” of the importance of the data. Will this data affect our customers, employees or competitors?

Allow comments and criticism

It is imperative that your team be able to openly analyze and discuss the data. Ask your team what trends they’re noticing. How can we improve? I am always amazed at the answers and inferences my team makes regarding performance. This helps all of us understand what is missing and what needs to be done to solve particular problems. As a leader, you can also get feedback on ways you can help the team achieve its goals.

Companies need to understand how data can spark employee action. Leaders must understand how to convey data to their colleagues. Whenever you choose to implement a data analysis regimen, remember: keep it current, keep it simple, keep it relatable, and allow for feedback and criticism from your peers. This will ensure that the company culture is established.