What causes most data leaders to fail? And how would one of the top coaches around go about putting these things right?

That’s exactly what we address in this episode of More than Numbers Live as Ollie Hughes sits down with top data leadership coach, Tristan Burns. They’ll discuss the most common data leader challenges Tristan sees among his clients—and how to go about solving them.

Drawing on his years in banking, startups, and scale-ups, Tristan unpacks the structural challenges facing modern data teams, from unclear roles to a lack of strategic visibility, and why business acumen, not just technical skills, is the new superpower for data leaders.

In our conversation, Tristan breaks down:

1. Why understanding company strategy is non-negotiable for data leaders 2. How becoming more business-minded empowers data specialists 3. What shadow data teams reveal about unmet demand, and why they need to be unified, not siloed off If you’re a data leader looking to make a bigger impact, then this episode is for you. Tune in for insights to help you align your team with your company’s strategy and drive real business value!

What you'll learn

• [01:32] The tool that made Tristan realise data was the industry he wanted to be in.
• [04:02] Specific problems that he has repeatedly seen among data teams and leaders.
• [06:27] Ollie’s approach for helping data leaders move out of being a support function.
• [08:58] Why it’s essential to have a strategic vision for data teams in an organisation.
• [10:00] Solving the lack of clarity around the role of data teams in the industry.
• [11:03] Contextualising data’s relatively short legacy compared to other departments.
• [13:58] The pros and cons of shadow data teams and why they are so common.
• [17:36] How Tristan coaches data leaders on overcoming industry challenges.
• [18:28] Why every data leader need to understand their organisation’s strategy.
• [21:36] Observations on how data leaders feel about AI in the short and long term.
• [23:15] Advice to those starting their data career: avoid corporates.
• [24:21] Tristan answers our anonymous data leadership question!

Downloads & links

👋 Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn

👋 Find Tristan’s coaching and consulting at Tris J Burns

🔗 Check out Tristan’s Blog

🔗 Learn how to create a data-centric culture with Tristan’s Data Leadership Playbook

🚀 Connect with Ollie Hughes

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