What do you do if your team lacks the necessary leadership skills for success in Business Intelligence (BI)?

1 Identify the gaps

The first step is to assess the current state of your team and identify the areas where leadership skills are lacking. You can use various tools and methods, such as surveys, feedback, performance reviews, or self-assessments, to measure the level of competence and confidence of your team members in key aspects of BI, such as data literacy, analytical thinking, storytelling, collaboration, and innovation. You should also consider the expectations and goals of your stakeholders and customers, and how well your team is meeting them.

3 Delegate and empower

Another way to enhance your team's leadership skills is to delegate and empower them to take more ownership and responsibility for their work. You can assign them challenging and meaningful tasks that require them to use their creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. You can also involve them in planning, setting, and monitoring the objectives and outcomes of their work, and give them the autonomy and flexibility to choose the best approach and methods. By doing so, you can boost their confidence, motivation, and engagement.

4 Foster collaboration and communication

A successful BI team needs to collaborate and communicate effectively with each other and with other stakeholders and customers. You can foster a culture of collaboration and communication by creating a shared vision and purpose for your team, and by aligning their goals and incentives with the organizational strategy and values. You can also facilitate regular and open communication channels, such as meetings, emails, chats, or dashboards, where your team can share their ideas, insights, feedback, and challenges. You can also promote a climate of trust, respect, and diversity, where your team can learn from each other and leverage their strengths.

5 Model and inspire

Finally, you can enhance your team's leadership skills by modeling and inspiring them with your own behavior and actions. You can demonstrate your commitment and passion for BI, and show your team how you use data and analytics to make informed and impactful decisions. You can also share your successes and failures, and how you learn from them. You can also acknowledge and celebrate your team's achievements, and recognize their contributions and potential. By doing so, you can influence and motivate your team to follow your example and aspire to higher standards of excellence.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?