You’ve written the song now sing it!
David Reed
Editor
DataIQ

What makes the
“Perfect Analyst”?

Four Skills of the “Perfect Analyst”
• 1.Clear and concise communication
“Red/Green Words”:
Red word
Concave function
Central limit theorem
Standard deviation
Covariance
Stochastic
Utility theory
Baysian analysis
Green word
Downward curving
Diversification
Degree of uncertainty
Inter-relationship
Uncertain
Risk attitude
(No green word!)
(Source: “Building the perfect analyst: What will it take to compete in the future?” by Cameron J. Davies and Mark Shafer, Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts, Orlando, published in Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management 2013)

Four Skills of the “Perfect Analyst”
• 1.Clear and concise communication
“Red/Green Words”:
avoid “business ‘sadistics’”
- do the two-minute test
(Source: “Building the perfect analyst: What will it take to compete in the future?” by Cameron J. Davies and Mark Shafer, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts,
Orlando, published in Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management 2013)

Four Skills of the “Perfect Analyst”
• 2.Creative with complexity
explaining the complex, dealing with imperfection, framing questions, communicating...
“If you are the type of analyst who can crank out a complex
Sudoku in less than five mins flat but couldn’t tell a haiku from a tanka* if your life depended on it, consider picking up a creative hobby.”
- (* a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line)
(Source: “Building the perfect analyst: What will it take to compete in the future?” by Cameron J. Davies and Mark Shafer, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts,
Orlando, published in Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management 2013)

Four Skills of the “Perfect Analyst”
• 3.Compelling credibility
- Why should I trust you?
“Of course you should listen to me, didn’t you see that
PhD at the end of my name?”
- Understand the business
The analyst of the future will invest heavily in their client’s business. They will understand the key drivers, the pain points, the challenges, the organizational culture, the customers
(Source: “Building the perfect analyst: What will it take to compete in the future?” by Cameron J. Davies and Mark Shafer, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts,
Orlando, published in Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management 2013)

Four Skills of the “Perfect Analyst”
• 4.Committed enthusiasm
-
“It is a sad fact of analytics - often the data generated by those having the experiences is not quite as exciting as actually having the experience.”
(Source: “Building the perfect analyst: What will it take to compete in the future?” by Cameron J. Davies and Mark Shafer, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts,
Orlando, published in Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management 2013)

Four (or Six) Skills of the
“Perfect Analyst”
Nesta* Wipro*
Analysis and computing Business analysis
Domain knowledge and business-savvy
Data analysis
Storytelling and teamworking
(* “Inside the Datavores”)
Data architecture
Creativity and curiosity Maths/Statistics
Data interpretation and visualisation
Social/behavioural analysis
(* The Missing Data Scientists)

4 out of 5 companies are struggling to recruit*
• Talent lacks skills and experience
• Not enough talent
• Talent without the right mix of skills
• Internal capacity issue
(* Nesta, “Inside the Datavores”)

“Do we need creatures of magic to create value from data?”

Meet some creatures of magic...
Sheldon Cooper, “The
Big Bang Theory”
Abigail Sciuto,
“NCIS”
Charlie Eppes,
“Numb3rs”
Education: PhD ScD
Job: Theoretical physicist
Education: PhD in Chemisty
Job: Forensic scientist
Related interests: Everything Related interests: Hacking
Weaknesses: Asperger’s syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder
Weaknesses: Hyper-activity, tendency to panic attacks
Education: PhD in Mathematics
Job: Professor of applied mathematics
Related interests: Chess
Weaknesses: Ego, workaholic

Meet some creatures of magic...
Sheldon Cooper, “The
Big Bang Theory”
Abigail Sciuto,
“NCIS”
Charlie Eppes,
“Numb3rs”
Education: PhD ScD
Job: Theoretical physicist
Education: PhD in Chemisty
Job: Forensic scientist
Related interests: Everything Related interests: Hacking
Weaknesses:Asperger’s syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder
Weaknesses: Hyper-activity, tendency to panic attacks
Education: PhD in Mathematics
Job: Professor of applied mathematics
Related interests: Chess
Weaknesses: Ego, workaholic

Charlie Eppes explains
“The Decoy Effect”

How Can Analysts
Achieve “Perfection”?

Habits of the Perfect
Do: Don’t:
Love your subject Share obsessively
Tell stories Explain the detail
Find a peer group/support network
Learn to say “no”
Only socialise with people like yourself
Automatically say “no”

Lessons for Managers
• Caring for your introverts:
– ”A minority in the regular population, but a majority in the gifted population.”
– "Introverts are driven to distraction by the semi-internal dialogue extroverts tend to conduct. Introverts don't outwardly complain, instead roll their eyes and silently curse the darkness." - Thomas P. Crouser,
Why Should Extroverts Make All the Money?
• A short reading list:
– http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/03/caring-for-yourintrovert/2696/
– “Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking” -
Susan Cain

Questions?
david.editor@btinternet.com
@DataGuv