@ You have 1 free member-only story left this month, Sign up for Medium and get an extra one 5 Cassie Kozyrkov Sep17 . 4minread Listen rt [yt Save Before You Ask “Why”... Ask “Who” Questions you'll learn to ask when you mature as a data scientist Here are the stages of evolution that you'll go through if you're lucky enough to have the opportunity to mature as a data scientist. ci© settee ) they're told’ describing the problem and they're already thinking about how they can solve it as correctly and objectively as possible. After all, they spent decades solving complicated homework problems without asking themselves whether there’s anything ridiculous about calculating how many spherical cows would be left in a field after 10 years that started with 50 cows whose lifespans are distributed GEOM(®)... Ah, the (emotional) elasticity of youth. You'll grow out of it. (Unless you have a phenomenal manager, that is. Then you won't be incentivized by suffering and you can stay in Neverland. Good for you.) Photo by Sean Martin on Unspll: B a Qagreeing to] mown) That's it, right? Just two stages? Many data professionals think they've arrived when they get cynical enough to ask why before they leap. Nope, there’s more. Simply put: your stakeholders and leaders might have some very good reasons to. withhold the truth from you. Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash Stage 3— “Who?” When you've matured a bit more, you'll start asking “who” before you ask “why”.on ED) pertor You'll get better at reading between the lines, thinking in terms of peoples’ incentives, and picking your collaborators carefully. This is also the stage where you stop assuming that you'll get truthful responses to some of your questions about the importance of your technical work and contributions to your organization. Why? (Er, um, who?)* Simply put: your stakeholders and leaders might have some very good reasons to withhold the truth from you. ‘There will be a lot of different “who"s involved in your project, so you'll have to get all their motivations straight. You'll learn that having everyone aligned on an issue is a rare moment of bliss in the organizational chaos. And when the question about “who” gives you an answer that renders the “why” hopeless, you'll pick your battles wisely.Captain Phillips (2013) - I'm the Captain Now ... But are you a good captain? Perhaps, Perhaps not, Welcome to Stage 4, The next part of the movie scene involves the pirate, er, new leader asking where all the crew is, which is wonderfully apt. The whole scene works as a pretty good allegory of a reorg. Right after the technical expert takes over from the professional manager comes the usual “But... where are all the people?" [Warning: movie scene is not suitable for sensitive viewers] Figuring out what's worth doing is now up to you, but you'll be asking every question above in addition to the “what” that you're now in charge of. After all, you've matured enough now to understand that at the end of the day, everything boils down to people. Good luck! *Moving you from Stage 2 to Stage 3 is what my next article is all about. As we mature on the job, it helps to learn to do more than ask why. It’s useful to learn how to skip taking the answer at face value and learn to read between the lines. (Bonus: You'll also get my take on that poll from earlier, so take a moment to vote there if you haven't done so already.) Thanks for reading!kozyrkovmedi PS. Have you ever tried hitting the clap button here on Medium more than once to see what happens? @ Liked the author? Connect with Cassie Kozyrkov Let's be friends! You can find me on Twitter, YouTube, Substack, and LinkedIn. Interested in having me speak at your event? Use this form to get in touch. Enjoy the read? Reward the writer.°** Your tip will go to Cassie Kozyrkov through a third-party platform of their choice, letting them know you appreciate their story, C ene) Sign up for The Variable By Towards Data Science Every Thursday, the Variable delivers the very best of Towards Data Science: from hands-on tutorials and cutting-edge research to original features you don't want to miss. Take a look, 8y signing up you wil create a Medium account you dot already have one, Review ‘ur Btvacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices. NNarses oe