Giorgia Candiani and Marina Ariamnova discuss the shift from individual contribution to analytics leadership, overcoming perfectionism and making career ambitions visible before an opportunity appears.
Data leaderGiorgia CandianiHead of Data AnalyticsBlinkist
Building towards leadershipMarina AriamnovaSenior Data AnalystSumUp
What stood out
Ideas worth carrying forward.
01
Business context makes leadership credible
Knowing the product, the company and the people behind its decisions helped Giorgia move from analyst to Head of Analytics. Leaders need to connect insight to action, not simply produce technically impressive work.
02
Communication becomes more important as scope grows
Senior analytics work depends on structuring information so leadership can understand it quickly and act with confidence. That requires coaching, practice and the ability to be direct without hiding behind the detail.
03
Make the case for yourself with evidence
Compare your experience with the role you want, collect examples that demonstrate the requirements and make a plan for any genuine gaps. A candidate does not need to arrive with every capability fully formed.
04
Imposter feelings do not have to disappear
Self-doubt remains common at senior levels. The useful response is to acknowledge it, remember why others trusted you with the role and focus on the few things that will create the most value.
05
Actionable beats perfect
An analysis is complete when it gives the business enough confidence to make a better decision. Ask whether another layer of detail would genuinely change the strategy, test or product choice before spending time on it.
06
Challenge the request before doing the work
Analysts are the data experts, while stakeholders understand the problem they need to solve. Agreeing the intended outcome and best deliverable early prevents wasted effort and often produces a better answer than the original request.
07
Trust people while tailoring their support
Giorgia gives her analysts ownership, stays available to unblock them and adapts support to each person’s goals and experience. Pairing, scaffolding and room to make recoverable mistakes help autonomy grow.
08
Do not wait for a role to announce your ambition
If the position you want does not yet exist, tell your leader what you are working towards and why. Ask for transparent expectations, seek targeted coaching or mentorship and start building the required skills before the opening appears.
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