Managing the Abstraction Mix

I was recently talking to a friend who, through a dramatic turn of events, has found herself as the senior-most data leader at her company. Where she previously managed a small team, she is now abruptly responsible for supporting and growing the careers of every individual contributor in the organization, roadmapping and coordinating across three separate data teams, and generally trying to create a sense of stability for the everyone else during a chaotic time. It’s the type of situation that people hear about and wince, remarking half-heartedly that it’s a huge opportunity while knowing full well that it’s going to be rough.