3 Why Me?

Do you enjoy identifying problems to be solved? Do you naturally look for solutions that are based on sound reasoning? Do you find yourself interpreting and translating interesting tidbits into insights you can link back to your own or other aspects of life? Do you like to plan? If you said yes to any of these, you likely have the natural personality inclinations to be well-suited to analytics.

Do you find the inner workings of people interesting? Do you worry about the implications of technology, government, or ‘big-business’ on society? Are you looking for a career where you can improve the lives of others in some way? Do you feel a person is more than just their job title or education and should be treated as such? If you said yes to any of these, you likely have the natural personality inclinations to be well-suited to people analytics.

Do you find yourself noticing when processes or systems aren’t set up as efficiently as they could be? Do you find yourself noticing how someone’s seemingly simple decision may have larger implications when considered more widely?  Do you agree with the phrase ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’? If you said yes to any of these, you likely have the natural personality inclinations to be well-suited to strategic people analytics.

Learning to apply people analytics to solve business problems takes:

• an inquisitive mind to ask and design the right questions,
• a critical eye to interpret and ensure analytical outcomes are reliable,
• effective story-telling techniques to translate information to others, and
• leadership and accountability to implement the outcomes produced by people analytics insights.

But it also takes a keen interest in keeping people front and center of that process.

People analytics is not simply applied analytics. Did you notice that I didn’t ask whether you knew any statistics, math or data science? You don’t have to identify as a “math” person to be great at people analytics. People analytics is a science to be approached with rigor and process, but it is also an art. It takes skills beyond simply looking at numbers to implement effective people strategies and solve business problems. People analytics involves an interest and understanding that people cannot and should not be reduced to numbers alone.

If you feel that a people analytics career might be right for you, read on! I hope this guide will provide some ideas, inspiration, and insights along the way.