James Oates Columnist Stop, collaborate and listen S slate of fresh-thinking analysts and companies in the future. top, collaborate and listen. Vanilla Ice song lyrics We need to maintain a network of open-minded people who are admittedly a strange source for inspiring are willing to share ideas and look to develop them. There are leadership qualities, but the notion of collaboration great champions of this. I always look to attend the MRS and listening to ideas is so important to what we do in analytics conference because it is an example of how analytics. For our industry, I believe collaborating and listening organisations are willing to share their thinking for others to are the essential elements in how we work, ensuring we get the follow. It demonstrates a confidence that what is being shared is best out of what we do. Collaboration allows us to unlock just one part of the story for those organisations, and that they the opportunity to connect our data assets and, most are already on to the next big question and opportunity. We can importantly, provide combined thinking that will lead to great all aspire to that. analytic results. The ability to see something different and bigger is vital for After my last article, I had a few readers contact me to discuss our sector. At times, we all need to face a business question how finding ways to work together has never been more with a new approach or creative thinking that requires us to go important given the economic circumstances in which we find beyond our own data assets. Data-led ourselves. That feedback, and the analytics can deliver the right current economic backdrop, got answers to these questions when we me thinking about what we are open to connecting data and need to have in place to drive We all need to face a business harnessing new approaches. I have the best of our analytic community question with a new approach or through collaboration. creative thinking that requires us to observed this freedom of thinking in hackathons during my time working Everyone sees collaboration go beyond our own data assets in media analytics analysts looking differently, but, for me, it is about to find the answer to an immediate some basic principles: bringing question and then building on that to together diverse thinking and a get to the next challenge. This positive, broad-thinking mindset willingness to be open, and to see the bigger potential of what represents the best in collaboration and can deliver great results. connecting can bring. If we can deliver on these and continue There will always be commercial barriers to collaboration, but to do so as our respective industries face the issue of Covid-19 if we can avoid siloed thinking and create an environment that we can still produce great analytic outcomes. brings this thinking together, we can ensure the analytics sector Diversity in where we draw our thinking from is essential if is set up for great success. we are to maximise our creativity and impact. Contacting Like many others, I am missing the ability to meet face to face emerging organisations, listening to innovative ideas and and connect over a coffee, but the past few months have shown finding new talent coming through academia will ensure a that we can keep the connectivity flowing and that our work freshness to our ways of working, and ensure we are challenging networks can still flourish. I have continued to meet new and the status quo. This is vital if we are to improve on the strong emerging companies, and am now developing work with some analytic foundations that are in place. We must create a positive of them. That is how we will show the power of collaboration energy around the great work we do in analytics and shout and maintain the voice of analytics in these testing times. about new approaches that will ensure we draw in a diverse 45 Impact ISSUE 31 20_pp45 James Oates.indd 45 18/09/2020 11:55