Data Driven Leadership Behaviors: A guide for what not to do, and to do.

You're in a performance review or check-in with your boss, and you hear it. "You need to be more data driven." After your initial eye roll, you then start to think about what that actually means. Being "data driven" seems to be an aspiration without any clear tangible direction. We talk with team leads and directors, and they all have an insatiable appetite to be "data-driven," but does anyone really know what that means? True data driven leadership is about more than just numbers on a screen. Data is a piece of the puzzle, but real insights come from understanding the broader story behind what's going on through the strategic use of data.

First, let's look at some common behavioral personas that lead to poor outcomes.

The "We Need a Dashboard" Leader

Tracking is a MUST for becoming data driven; however, this can very easily be overindexed on. Leaders who spend so much time focused on documenting and tracking in spreadsheets are burying their team in administrative work and not focusing on gaining deep insights. Sure, your team will be "data-driven"—driven straight into an Excel-induced coma. This focus on process is important and needed, but can quickly get taken out of hand when teams are forced to track things non-systematically or without any clear guidance for how the tracking will actually help drive the insights that matter.

The "We Need to Track Everything" Leader

Tracking is a MUST for becoming data driven; however, this can very easily be overindexed on. Leaders who spend so much time focused on documenting and tracking in spreadsheets are burying their team in administrative work and not focusing on gaining deep insights. Sure, your team will be "data-driven"—driven straight into an Excel-induced coma. This focus on process is important and needed, but can quickly get taken out of hand when teams are forced to track things non-systematically or without any clear guidance for how the tracking will actually help drive the insights that matter.

The "We Can't Because We Have Bad Data" Leader

A classic deterrent to being data driven is the monstrosity that is poorly architected data systems in enterprises and small businesses. Excel and spreadsheets run most business processes, which naturally leads most leaders to take a fixed mindset approach of "we can't do it." Bad news: bad data that's hidden never gets cleaned. Good news: it's okay if it's bad to start—everyone has to start somewhere.

Now, let's look at 5 positive data-driven leadership behaviors to help you thrive.

These behaviors are focused on what you, yourself, need to do differently to embody data driven leadership. These are not focused on communicating externally or with other individuals. It starts with you and how you handle interactions to truly lead with data.

1. Recognizing your opinion is viewed as an assumption.

Assumptions are what we believe to be true. That often doesn't mean they are. All too often we may have our own thoughts or opinions on a business decision, and those opinions guide decision-making more than true facts. True facts are hard to come by because they take a combination of data, unbiased interpretation, and a full view of the picture at hand.

Often we have unclean or incomplete data, we're full of biases, and we don't have time to understand the full landscape before making a decision. In these cases, we need to first recognize this as a factor in the current decision-making process, and second, do something about it.

Watch for triggers like: "It's always the case that," "People don't want that," "Nobody will use it"—these should all prompt a quick follow-up of: "How do you know that?" Any absolute language is often the first indicator that we're relying on assumption instead of the use of data. Data will always tell you there's always an edge case or scenario that needs to be considered.

2. Adopt the Statistic, Belief, Direction Method.

"We found that X, as a result we believe Y, so we should do Z." This approach showcases strong data driven leadership by clearly articulating how you've interpreted information and outlining your recommended direction. This results in a very non-confrontational approach for sharing how you arrived at your recommendation and invites others along the same path. Plus, it makes it harder for the office contrarian to derail your meeting.

3. Write down your unknowns, chase answers.

As a leader, what questions keep you up at night? Those are the insights you need to focus on. If data doesn't exist to track these unknowns today, you need to build a mechanism. Work with your team to help them understand what you want visibility into and why. Push them to think about how you can track with limited administrative overhead to their day-to-day. Your insomnia should be productive, not just a side effect of too much coffee.

4. Make your data auditable.

Inherently people will question your data, your sources, and the credibility of what you're proposing. If you know this will happen, you can circumvent it as a risk. Share your data. Put it in a dashboard (a useful one, not the vanity project we discussed earlier) for anyone to look at or download themselves. Welcome feedback and ask people to help identify why it may be incorrect. This will help turn your antagonists into protagonists. Transparency isn't just a buzzword—it's your shield against the "but actually" crowd.

5. Help others find data.

It's not enough to just sit back in a meeting and ask, "what does the data say?" A good leader who knows their business will share that. Help others become data driven by advising on approaches or mechanisms they can adopt to get data they may be missing. Give feedback when you see others overly relying on their opinion instead of data, but don't just tell them to be "more data-driven." Help them learn how to do it. Be the guide, not the guru who speaks in riddles.

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At PMB, we're focused on helping to accelerate outputs and team optimization through performance reporting and behavioral change management. We're a team of management consultants who excel at data analysis, behavioral change management, and strategy development work.

We're passionate about developing data driven leadership skills that help you drive your teams forward and set them up for success in the data-driven world we're in. And yes, we practice what we preach—no empty dashboards or spreadsheet graveyards here.

We'd love to work with you for a 1:1 consultation, building a dashboard that actually helps your team, or lead a strategy overhaul that puts work transparency at the center of delivery. Because effective data driven leadership shouldn't just be another box to check off during your next performance review—it should be the foundation of how you make decisions and inspire your team.