Leading People is Harder Than Math (And the Data That Makes it Easier)

How to use data to be a more effective people leader.

A few years ago, a dear friend gifted me a shirt that simply says “math” across the front, surrounded by equations. She nailed it - I give math a solid 5 out of 5 in importance to me. In school, it was my favorite subject: clear answers, no gray areas, no debate needed. Just solving for X. 

Then Georgia Tech happened, and math got harder. 

“The limit does not exist!” (for all us Mean Girls / Tina Fey fans).

And then my engineering internships introduced the most challenging variable of all: OTHER HUMANS.

Now the equations I faced included personalities, communication styles, and team dynamics. Complexity increased. 

I graphed this by myself.

From Excel to PowerPoint to People

As my career progressed - from analyst (using Excel) to project manager (using Powerpoint to convey strategy) to leading large-scale ESG initiatives inside a Fortune 500 company - my questions evolved from: 

“What's the answer?” 

to 

“How do we USE this data to make better decisions?”

Analysts who leverage data to drive strategic decisions are the ones who get promoted. 

However, for me, the technical data was the easy part; the people part was not. 

Leading people is one of the most rewarding and challenging things we get to do. We've all heard that people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses. And yet, what an opportunity to make an impact on someone’s life! 

If that feels scary or serious, I hear you. I’ve been there. 

I’ve led teams without enough support, and I’ve led teams with extensive development resources. The difference is night and day. 

One Framework That Helps When New to Leading People

Understanding how you lead starts with understanding yourself. Research backs this: self-awareness is one of the strongest predictors of effective leadership. 

Knowing your worldview, motivations, triggers, defense mechanisms, and communication defaults is gold. 

The good news? We can access data about all of these. 

The iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram assessment isn't a surface-level internet quiz. It is a highly validated framework, based on established psychological principles and research, that gives us a 40+ page report on the data patterns behind the way we think, feel, and act.

If we put our analyst hat back on, we can ask: “How do we use this baseline data to drive better leadership outcomes?”

We can use this data-driven self-knowledge to: 

• Make more conscious choices when triggered

• Communicate more effectively

• Navigate team conflict more constructively

• Feel more grounded and confident

That’s data-driven leadership and it’s the foundation of my new program. 

The First 90 Days: Data-Driven Leadership Acceleration

I’m introducing a structured, 90-day coaching experience engineered for impact-driven leaders stepping into bigger roles who want clarity and confidence. 

If you’re navigating an expanded role, or you are new to leading people and want to use a data-backed blueprint to guide your journey, this program was designed for you. 

Imagine feeling more confident in your own strengths and grounded in your ability to lead. 

This all starts with data. And just like for our favorite Mathlete, the limit does not exist on what’s possible for our leadership either.  

Ready to start your journey? Book a discover call and let's get started.

Not ready for 1:1 acceleration? Grab a standalone iEQ9 diagnostic report here.