Creating Psychological Safety Within Ambitious Teams
While leading ambitious data teams, and mentoring non-data professionals in data literacy, I have often seen bright minds hesitate to ask questions on topics they felt they “should” know - what they feel might be “stupid questions”.
The Chance of Being Struck by Lightning →
Is it truly rare or a biased perception of risk? Here, I explore this question through the data science lens, and the answer is: it depends entirely on where we are standing!
Statistics, Philosophy & the fine art of decision making
I enjoy reading 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 but I hadn’t seen these combined in a single book/paper until I came across Zoltan Varju’s compilation. And I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it! 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻 (𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 s𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁) 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀.
On the tough balance between revisiting foundations & learning new tools
A recent read reminded me of the delicate balance - one I find myself continuously navigating - between strengthening core statistics & embracing the latest advancements (like tools that automate parameter selection & modeling). 𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻.
How can I be a leader & keep up my technical skills at the same time?
While searching for the answer, I realized the TTGM framework. TTGM stands for Teach - Trust - Set Goals - Mentor. A mnemonic to remember it is Time To Gain Mastery.
Analytics to Decisions
How might organizations become more effective in converting analytics into management actions?
Confidence is a Choice
“Confidence is a choice, not a symptom. The batter has already hit two home runs. When he gets up to bat for the third time, his confidence is running high…
It’s easy to feel confident when we’re on a roll, when the cards are going our way, or we’re closing sales right and left. This symptomatic confidence, one built on a recent series of successes, isn’t particularly difficult to accomplish or useful.
Effective confidence comes from within, it’s not the result of external events. The confident salesperson is likely to close more sales. The confident violinist expresses more of the music. The confident leader points us to the places we want (and need) to go.
You succeed because you’ve chosen to be confident. It’s not really useful to require yourself to be successful before you’re able to become confident.”
What is Econometrics?
My background is in Econometrics. I get asked this question a lot. Sometimes it comes directly, sometimes in puzzled stares. Sometimes in glazed eyes where they’re regretting their first question for fear of a barrage of heavy statistical terminology. Let’s simplify it without the fear.
On the Visibility of Deep Thinkers
“We pay too much attention to the most confident voices - and too little attention to the most thoughtful ones. Certainty is not a sign of credibility. Speaking assertively is not a substitute for thinking deeply.
It’s better to learn from complex thinkers than smooth talkers.”
Book Review: Becoming a Technical Leader, Ch 1
The Leadership Book Club, at R&D Mx, is sometimes hosted by motivated colleagues, sometimes by me. It is a great space to meet coworkers that I wouldn’t usually bump into. This time, we picked a book that takes us back to the basics (and, in doing so, invites many aspiring leaders) while promising to take us beyond the theory of most other leadership books: ‘Becoming a Technical Leader’ by Gerald M. Weinberg.