Know Your ROI: A Proven Process to Measure the Impact of Your Data Team

“Don't be a problem identifier. Be an opportunity seeker and a problem solver.” — Lina Mikolajczyk [0:26:26]

The age-old question among data leaders: How do you prove to the rest of the company that your team is driving real business value?

In this episode of More than Numbers Live, Ollie Hughes sits down with Lina Mikolajczyk, Director of Data and Advanced Analytics at Bumble, to tackle this biggest of challenges head-on.

Lina shares her proven strategies for transforming data teams into business-critical growth drivers. From navigating tech stack upgrades to embedding a culture of data-driven decision-making, she provides listeners with a blueprint for success.

With experience leading data teams across industries, Lina knows how daunting it is to prove impact in a new role. She offers practical insights into building credibility, measuring success, and positioning data teams as strategic partners—not just report generators. In this conversation, she breaks down:

1. The 90-day plan every new data leader should follow to assess impact and set priorities
2. How to create a data maturity survey for candid stakeholder feedback
3. Why overcommunication is the secret to managing leadership expectations effectively

Tune in to learn how to prove your data team’s impact, drive business value, and gain leadership buy-in!

Brilliant data bits

“Analysts are there to help support, be strategic partners, show the stakeholders, but also to identify [opportunities to drive business value].” — Lina Mikolajczyk [0:07:26]

“Data teams should be driving signal from noise, making the business feel simple, not just producing loads and loads of reports which mean nothing.” — Ollie Hughes [0:08:29]

What you'll learn

• [01:05] Lina’s first BI tool and why she fell in love with Google Analytics.
• [03:00] Inside Bumble’s data team structure and tech stack evolution.
• [05:19] The cultural shift required for quicker data-driven decision-making.
• [07:43] A 90-day plan for new data leaders: build relationships, assess strengths, and set a strategy.
• [13:10] How to create a data maturity survey for candid stakeholder feedback.
• [17:23] Using survey insights to shape OKRs and track data team impact.
• [20:34] Why qualitative feedback matters as much as hard metrics.
• [21:09] Managing leadership expectations through overcommunication.
• [23:01] Lina's advice to her younger self: don’t pigeonhole yourself early!
• [25:16] The top soft skills data teams need to develop.

“A lot of data teams have a self-perception that is different than the business perception. Having a survey helps dispel that.” — Lina Mikolajczyk [0:18:20]

Downloads & links

👋 Connect with Lina on LinkedIn

🔗 Check out Bumble's website

🚀 Connect with Ollie Hughes

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