The Data Driven Leader

Chapter 3STARTING WITH ANALYTICS

The team had filed back into the conference room after lunch and settled into their seats when Pam walked in with a young woman and a large box of chocolate truffles from a well-known local purveyor.

“Chicago’s finest!” Pam declared, motioning first toward the guest and then the chocolates. “I’ve brought with me two very important components for the final portion of our off-site. The first will help keep our energy up and our imaginations going. I’ve been somewhat obsessed with this brand ever since I stopped by their kiosk at O’Hare.”

“I love that chocolate,” exclaimed Sameer. “Pam, you have my attention now.”

“I wish I’d known how easy it could be, Sameer,” said Pam with a smile, handing him the box. Sameer excitedly picked one out and then passed them around. Pam then turned back to the group. “Second, and most important, is Chloe Curtis, the person I mentioned I wanted you all to meet. Chloe is a data scientist. She’ll help us navigate our analytics challenges on a project basis for the next few months, and I’m excited to have her on board.”

“Chloe is top-notch,” said Pam. “She earned a prestigious master of science in analytics from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern and a double undergraduate degree from Stanford in statistics and psychology, which she felt were a good complement to her interest in HR. She completed two grad school internships in corporate HR departments and was hired by a top HR consulting firm into their ...