When the trucks served by Transfix’s freight logistics platform drive across the country, it’s the driver alone on open highway. Behind the scenes at Transfix, though, things are quite the opposite — the whole team leans on each other.
This collaborative structure is strong with Transfix’s data science team, who understand that soft skills like teamwork are just as important as technical knowledge — and that building these skills often leads to successful management careers.
Director of Advanced Analytics Kelly Shaffer can relate. She didn’t come to the company from a data science background, instead starting out in sales, where she learned important soft skills — communication, teamwork, storytelling and critical thinking — that helped her excel in her leadership position at Transfix.
“As a data scientist, you may build a gorgeous model with stunning accuracy, but your work doesn’t stop there,” said Shaffer. “You must now convey your findings to a non-technical audience in a language the business can understand and take action on.” .
Shaffer’s experience with soft skills is backed up by data. Research conducted by Stanford, Harvard and the Carnegie foundation found that 85 percent of job success can be attributed to excellent soft skills — as opposed to hard, technical ones. Shaffer’s decade of data science experience has been instrumental to her position, but what sets her apart as a leader is her personal connection with her employees and mentors.
“Build strong relationships with mentors and peers who will help you see your blindspots and be radically candid with you about the areas in which you need to develop,” she advised. “Then, find people who are really strong in these areas and learn from them.”
Built In NYC spoke more with Shaffer about her leadership journey and the skills that help her succeed — along with advice for data scientists ready to ascend to management roles.
What appealed to you about managing a data science team?
I feel incredibly fortunate to have chosen this career. By chasing what I was passionate about, I now have a decade of experience in data science — a field everyone is now trying to break into. Before this amazing journey, I spent time in sales, where I developed soft skills that have been invaluable in my career. In data science, the combination of technical and soft skills can be rare, and my early career mentors helped me recognize and market this strength. As a leader, I encourage my technical talent to develop their soft skills — while still being able to speak the language of their day-to-day work as data scientists. Coaching and developing my team is one of my favorite parts of the job.
As a female in STEM, I didn’t have many female role models or even peers throughout my career. That was another motivating factor for me to get into leadership, to be that role model for the next wave of talent. Now I’m building out a data team at Transfix — which has a female CEO and president — and a third of our C-suite staff is female. I’m so proud to work for a company that not only cares deeply about diversity and inclusion, but sets an example.
What skills do data scientists need to develop when they move into a management role?
Focus on developing soft skills such as stakeholder management, negotiation, critical thinking, product sense, teamwork, communication and storytelling. Your strong demonstration of these skills will get you noticed for a leadership role. Storytelling skills are crucial for conveying your findings to a non-technical audience, as well as assessing that audience’s technical proficiency. Meet them where they are in terms of technical understanding. Pay attention to responses to the material you’re presenting — if people start to multitask, you may need to re-engage and simplify.
As a leader, you may also have to generate this buy-in before you work, justifying the time and cost it will require your team to build. Data science teams cannot function without the help of other teams such as engineering and product. Building strong cross-functional partnerships will be crucial to the success of your team and your success as a leader.
It can be uncomfortable to share feedback, but when respectfully utilized as a coaching opportunity, it will undoubtedly make your team better.”
What other advice would you give to a data scientist who is managing a team for the first time?
My manager scheduled a development chat early in my career where she shared feedback with me about my behavior that I was fully unaware of. It was a behavior she demonstrated early in her career — she was helping me avoid the same fate. That conversation left me in tears and so embarrassed, but I look back at it as one of the most valuable lessons of my career. I now know that if I did not receive that feedback, I may have sabotaged my own career without knowing it. It can be uncomfortable to share feedback, but when respectfully utilized as a coaching opportunity, it will undoubtedly make your team better.
As a new leader, you will make mistakes, even with the best intentions. Build strong relationships with mentors and peers who will help you see your blindspots and be radically candid with you about the areas in which you need to develop. Then, find people who are really strong in these areas and learn from them.
Lastly, maintain a 10,000-foot view of what we’re doing here in the beautiful world of data analytics and data science. It’s so easy to lose perspective in the weeds of the day-to-day, but we are building real tools that have the potential to change the world!
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