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Book of the Month: “Become an Analytic Translator”

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This month, in November’s “Book of the Month,” we’re settling in with Dr. Wendy Lynch’s “Become an Analytic Translator” and learning about the nature of communication with data in the workplace. 

In her book, Dr. Lynch focuses on a potentially new role in many organizations: a role that bridges the divide between analysts and executives. Coined “analytic translator,” this role addresses the challenge often linked to the need for data literacy. The analytic translator mediates between data teams and leadership to discover, distill, and decipher needs, enabling them to design, do, and deliver value to both teams. Simply put, the book outlines the skillsets required for this role, the activities it encompasses within an organization, and how to achieve impactful results.  Furthermore, the book uses real-life stories and examples of how the analytic translator role is put into place, making it a practical guide to implementing your own analytic translator. 

The book is divided into sections, starting with an explanation of why the analytic translator role is essential. The second section dives into the skillset required to make an analytic translator effective.  The third and fourth sections deal with how to do the job, and then examples of the analytic translator role in organizations. This gives the reader a fulsome understanding of how the role functions. Thanks to this layout, even if an organization doesn’t take the plunge and implement an analytic translator role as described in the book, they will pick up some activities and ideas that will help shape the nature of communication between analysts and leadership teams. 

In identifying the skills for an analytic translator, Lynch coins a phrase right in the dedication to the book, “Dedicated to all the sense-makers out there.” Sense-makers, she describes, are folks who have strong expertise in communications. She elaborates that strong communicators have critical listening skills and an innate sense to ask discovery questions of both business leaders and data teams. Here, Dr. Lynch describes the 3Ps (pause, prompt, and paraphrase). The book later gets into real-life examples of this activity. Further to communication, the book talks about what level of analysis an analytic translator needs to be successful, as well as the ability to express concepts and ideas in multiple different formats to ensure understanding by both data and analytic teams.   

In the “Translation in Practice” section, Lynch presents a couple of scenarios: how a typical project proceeds without an analytic translator role, and how a project functions with one in place. The book tells an all-too-familiar story about a data team that’s frustrated with requests from business leaders that don’t feel relevant or feasible, and the business leaders becoming frustrated with the time it takes to produce results that don’t hit the mark. Lynch then illustrates how an analytic translator role can resolve these frustrations. Even if the reader does not fully apply the methodology presented in this book, this section alone is worth studying to better understand how both teams can feel frustrated in a standard data project. 

The book concludes with several real-life scenarios that illustrate the work of an analytic translator. Dr. Lynch provides various role-playing scenarios, demonstrating how conversations unfold between the analytic translator and both executives and data teams. This offers a compelling conclusion, vividly portraying the activities and practical applications of the role.   

In conclusion, this book is a great tool in the arsenal for business analysts and data analysts struggling to get buy-in from leaders in their organizations. It’s also a valuable resource for business leaders to better understand the challenges data teams face in helping them make timely decisions with trusted data. As a side note, this book is an excellent entry on the topic of data literacy, even though it does not mention the term data literacy once in its pages. Overall, it bridges gaps and fosters understanding, making it a must-read for those involved in data and communication. 

More About the Author 

For over 35 years, Wendy Lynch, Ph.D. has converted complex analytics into business value. At heart, she is a sense-maker and translator. A consultant to numerous Fortune 100 companies, her current work focuses on the application of big data solutions in human capital management. 

Through her roles in diverse work settings – including digital start-ups, century-old insurers, academic medical centers, consulting firms, health care providers, and the board room – she became familiar with (and fascinated by) the unique language of each. She also became familiar with the difficult dynamic that often exists between business and analytic teams, preventing them from collaborating effectively.