Data Debrief: Elephants, Driving & LinkedIn Debates

About this episode

Catherine and Kyle discuss the human side of data leadership with insights from Dru Patel.

Welcome to another episode of the Data Debrief, the companion show to Driven by Data: The Podcast, where hosts Catherine Dowden-King and Kyle Winterbottom unpack Tuesday’s episode, share what’s been on their minds, and explore the realities of leadership, culture, and capability across the data and AI landscape. This week, Catherine and Kyle reflect on the conversation with Dru Patel from the FA, diving deeper into the human side of data leadership, from storytelling and self-awareness to the commercial realities of what it actually takes to succeed at the executive level. They cover: Why Dru Patel’s approach to storytelling and communication stood out as one of the most compelling conversations the podcast has hosted to date How technical capability alone has become “table stakes” in data leadership, and why the differentiator is now influence, communication, and the ability to shape perception Why “soft skills” might be the most damaging phrase in the industry, and how cultural buy-in and human-centred leadership are often the real drivers of ROI The uncomfortable reality that working hard and being technically brilliant doesn’t automatically lead to progression, and why…

People in this episode

Hosts: Catherine Dowden-King, Kyle Winterbottom

Guest: Dru Patel

Topics covered

• data leadership
• storytelling
• communication
• self-awareness
• human-centred leadership
• ROI
• data teams

Keywords

• data leadership
• storytelling
• communication
• self-awareness
• soft skills
• ROI
• data teams

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FA

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