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You’ve climbed the corporate ladder and have finally moved from building dashboards and pipelines to managing the people who do it. Good for you and congratulations! The promotion from individual contributor to people leader is an important step in any professional journey. But with that new position comes new responsibilities—and often, a few related questions: How do I structure the team? How to I gain trust? How do I influence beyond data?
Great data teams just have the right mix of technical skills. They're also strategically aligned. They’re culturally healthy. And most of all, they’re built for impact. That’s why, as a data team leader, your job is to understand how to shape your team so they can support the business at a higher level and scale to meet evolving needs.
These leadership skills don’t always come easy or naturally. While some individual contributors can be great at performing the more technical data-focused tasks, they can be less confident serving in a leadership capacity and performing new critical duties like hiring, mentorship, or building influence across an organization.
But don’t fret. If you’re just moving into the manager role, there are plenty of resources to help you develop your leadership skills, while also building your team into an engaged, effective, and aligned unit. Let’s take a look at some tools you can turn to for support.
Watch: Real leaders on building teams
Before you do a deep dive into any one skill, it helps to listen and learn how other data leaders have approached developing their teams to identify strategies you might want to explore further. Luckily, YouTube offers a goldmine.
“How to Build a Data Team From Scratch"
Are you data hire number one and tasked with the reality of building out the team yourself? At Data Makers Fest 23, Stefan Gudmundsson shared his strategies for creating a team from the ground up.
“How to Create and Manage a High-Performance Analytics Team”
In this session from the 2023 Data + AI Summit hosted by DataBricks, John Thompson explores how to nurture and develop the talent on your team, starting with the hiring process.
“How to Organize Data and Analytics Teams”
Data teams may need to be structured differently depending on the size and needs of your organization. Learn about the pros and cons of implementing a centralized, decentralized, or hybrid organizational model.
“Empowering Data Teams: A Step-by-Step Playbook for Leads and Managers”
In this presentation from Data Council, Engineering Manager C.J. Jameson walks through practical strategies leaders can employ to improve a data team’s ROI.
“Building Effective Data Teams”
Aligning your team to the rest of the business is the key to making an impact. DataCamp’s webinar with Pamela Zirpoli and Tarash Aggarwal covers best practices for maximizing team productivity.
Read: What do the experts say about data leadership?
Sometimes a good old-fashioned book is the best way to build the knowledge you need. Here are five good reads you can pick up if you want to become a better data leader.
Building Analytics Teams by John Thompson
Thompson makes his second appearance on the list with his manual on leading a data analytics team to success. Explore the traits of high performers and learn how to adapt to changing business needs.
How to Lead in Data Science by Jike Chong and Yue Cathy Chang
The authors provide a guide for how leaders can pick, plan, and execute on projects particularly when direction is vague and teams are confronted with structural challenges in an organization.
Data Work: A Jargon-free Guide to Managing Successful Data Teams by Taylor Rodgers
Not all data team leads have the same technical expertise as their direct reports. If data is new to you, Rodgers’ book provides no frill advice on what you need to develop operational excellence.
Data Leadership: Stop Talking About Data and Start Making an Impact! by Anthony Algmin
If your resources are limited but you’re still expected to deliver big wins, Algmin’s entry provides a guide for how to build momentum to achieve impactful results.
The Chief Data Officer’s Playbook by Caroline Carruthers and Peter Jackson
You may not be in the c-suite yet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start thinking like an executive. This playbook can help you understand the mindset of data leaders at the top of the organization so that you can implement complementary strategies on your team.
Train: Build leadership skills beyond the technical
Again, while technical expertise can help in a data leadership role, managing a team can call on you to tap into a very different side of your skillset. If you’re still just developing those skills, you may want to consider leaning on professional leadership training.
American Management Association
This international nonprofit that bills itself as the world’s leading training institution offers a range of learning opportunities for business professionals including a wide catalog of live online and in-person management courses. Learn everything from how to make the transition to management to how to handle tough colleagues.
Another respected source for information and research on business management, this media outlet not only provides evidence-backed guidance on how to be an innovative leader, it also offers webinars for learners, with a section devoted to data and data culture.
It’s certainly an old-faithful, but LinkedIn Learning can provide you with valuable instruction on how to build soft-skills like interpersonal communication, providing useful feedback, and fostering inter-team collaboration. They’ve developed tailored learning paths for both leadership and management that you can take at your own pace.
AI isn’t just transforming how professionals interact with data; it’s also transforming how they interact with each other. This platform may be designed to help business leaders reimagine their workplaces empowered by AI tools, but it also provides really practical resources on topics like recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and employee retention.
You may be able to take on a data leadership role with expertise in team management rather than data analysis or business intelligence, but it won’t hurt to grow your data skills. If you‘re looking to build your technical knowledge or your team members could use professional development training, DataCamp could be the perfect platform to expand your understanding of AI, data analytics, and data science.
Listen: Practical advice on being effective in the workplace
Not everyone has the time or the resources to participate in a full training session. If you’re in that boat, podcasts could be a great way to absorb knowledge without such a significant investment.
It’s a simple name for a straightforward podcast. Learn specific management skills with step-by-step instructions that will help you become a results-oriented leader.
Listen to host Muriel Wilkins, an executive coach for CEOs and senior leaders, as she engages in actual coaching sessions with professionals experiencing challenges in the workplace.
Martin G. Moore leaves theory for the professors as he engages with actual business leaders about what it takes to succeed.
Grant, an organizational psychologist, sits down with professionals in various fields to explore what they do to improve their work life.
A podcast from Harvard Business Review, hosts Alison Beard and Adi Ignatius examine modern business and management challenges.
Attend: Where data leaders learn from their peers
Another great way to learn from data leaders is to hear from them directly. Conferences for professionals in the field provide you with a fantastic opportunity to build a network that can empower you to succeed.
Gartner Data and Analytics Summit
This conference for data, analytics, and AI professionals covers the latest on data technology, strategy, and leadership, providing attendees with the chance to hear about trending topics like generative AI and AI governance, as well as practical insights on how to communicate data value.
Don't let the similar names fool you. Another leading networking event for the data and analytics community, this summit offers participants hundreds of sessions to learn from global leaders in the industry and gives them unique educational opportunities through special training and certification courses.
TDWI, or Transforming Data with Intelligence, runs a number of large events centered around data management, analytics, and AI, including the Transform conferences, which focus on skill building, and the Modern Data Leaders Summits.
If you’ve got a little extra money to spend and don’t mind international travel, check out the Big Data & AI World conference where attendees can hear about a range of topics, such as best practices for upskilling your teams to ensure they can compete in the evolving data and tech environment.
Did you really think we’d skip our own premiere event? Domopalooza is your opportunity to hear about all of the innovative new features and products we’re launching and to learn from other customers that are constantly finding new ways to unlock value for their businesses with Domo. We may be a bit biased, but it’s a must-attend if you’re serious about becoming a seriously successful data leader.
Don’t miss: Start planning your trip to Domopalooza
March will be here sooner than you think! So it’s time to start planning for Domopalooza 2026. If you’re on the fence about whether you want to join us in Salt Lake City, watch some of the highlights from last year’s event and sign up to get updates about what to expect in next year’s lineup.
Final takeaway
Domo helps leaders grow their data impact, from governance to self-service to operationalization. But we also understand the human side of leadership: visibility, trust, and team alignment.
You won’t have to figure it all out alone. From books and podcasts to training and conferences, the resources above can help you become a more confident, strategic data leader. Let’s build something bigger together.
And when you’re ready to connect with others on the same path, we’ll see you in the Domo Community.
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Joseph Rendeiro is a freelance writer with an extensive background covering topics related to business administration, entrepreneurship, team work, and psychology. He has spent the past eight years creating content highlighting faculty fieldwork and research at accredited higher education institutions.
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