Leaders may often wonder how one can create growth within their organization or company. As an educator, l develop a culture of achievement within my classroom. This is a form of leadership that will definitely transfer to business endeavors. One way to build a sense of achievement is through sharing data. Data can drive a team to meet exceptional goals in particular areas. This could be in task performance or output. Reviewing 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 for your team.
Make it Current
It’s important to have a data tracking system that makes it easy to retrieve current information. This will help lead to 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 will be monitoring, make sure to regularly check in on progress. Some examples of data to access include: sales, output performance, salary increases, market data. This should all be considered.
Make it Simple
While numbers and formulas can be a wonderful tool, it is necessary to present data in a way that is digestible for your audience. If a chart is used, make sure that it is labeled and that your team understands where the analytics are stemming from. This will allow for your meeting on data to be efficient. While you should be assured that your employees or team members are highly qualified and intelligent, it’s not fair to assume that every person has a PhD 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 that is similar to me, they will want to understand the social implications of data. It’s not always about the bottom line; it can also be about the “why” for the significance of the data. Will this data impact our customers, employees or competitors?
Allow Feedback and Critique
Its imperative that your team is able to openly analyze and discuss data. Ask your team what trends are they noticing? How can we get better? I am always surprised by the responses and inferences that my team makes in regards to performance. This helps us all grasp what is lacking and what should be done to solve particular problems. As a leader, you may also get feedback on ways that you can support the team to meet their goals.
Companies need to understand how data can evoke action within employees. Leaders must grasp how to relay data to their colleagues. Whenever you choose to implement a regimen of data analysis, remember to: make it current, make it simple, make it relatable and allow feedback and critique from your colleagues. This will ensure that company culture is established.