This article was adapted from episode #476 of the SuperDataScience Podcast.
Back in episode #466, released at the end of April, we discussed what separates a good data scientist from a great one. You may recall from that episode, as well as from countless guests we’ve had on the program that the two most important data science skills sought by hiring managers are communication and knowing how to learn.
Recently, Laura Rodriguez — who is VP of Analytics at ForwardKeys, a Spanish firm specializing in travel data — posted on LinkedIn that she thoroughly enjoyed the aforementioned episode #466 on good versus great data scientists and she had a related, inspiring story that I am delighted to share with all of you.
She wrote that while building and managing a great group of data scientist at her company ForwardKeys, she realized peer-driven learning activities — where colleagues teach each other — not only achieved the obvious (such as improving specific, targeted skills like communication) but also brought other benefits, including:
Bonding
A space with freedom to fail
The opportunity to shine at our best abilities
And the opportunity to help others improve
Laura went on to say that as a result of these peer-driven learning activities, some of the data science team members are now mentors to others in a variety of skills. This cross-skill mentorship capacity is not in the data scientists’ formal job descriptions but has now become a meaningful part of each team member’s uniqueness.
Thus, the peer-driven learning not only improved communication with stakeholders (such as clients, investors, and less-technical team members), but also increased the overall maturity of the team. While helping their data scientists communicate more effectively, the company got in return a more innovative team overall that is fearless to share new ideas and proud to belong. Now that is a huge return on investment for spearheading a peer-driven learning program.
What a great story with clear lessons for all of us! If you too have a relevant, inspiring story to share, like Laura please do tag me in a post on LinkedIn or on Twitter; I’d love to hear it. Perhaps it will even inspire me to discuss your story on the SuperDataScience show.