6 things I would NEVER allow in my data team.

And what I expect instead:

1. Technology-first obsession
   ❌ “Let’s pick the stack first”
   ✅ Start with business problems, not tools

2. User avoidance
   ❌ “We already know what the business needs”
   ✅ Build with users, not for them

3. All-or-nothing thinking
   ❌ “If the data isn’t perfect, we can’t use it”
   ✅ 80/20 thinking

4. Governance as a barrier
   ❌ Power without accountability
   ✅ Clear ownership with real accountability

5. Victim mentality
   ❌ “We can’t create value without data culture”
   ✅ Create value first → culture follows

6. Obsession with cost over value
   ❌ Optimizing for efficiency instead of impact
   ✅ Value > cost

I rarely struggles because I lacked skills or tech.

I struggled because I tolerated wrong behaviors.

Fix that…
…and you don’t just improve your data team.

You change how the business makes decisions.

Want to stop running a data team that ships outputs and start building one that drives real business outcomes?

👉 Follow me, Sebastian, for daily no-bs content on data strategy.

♻️ And repost if you’ve seen perfect data models deliver zero value.