Analytics is a Team Sport: Why the Best Analysts Are Connectors

Here's a realization that transformed my career: Analytics is a team sport.

The most impactful analysts I've worked with weren't necessarily the most technically skilled. They were the best connectors—people who understood that insights don't happen in isolation.

Once this clicks for you, everything changes.

You Don't Need to Know Everything

Analysts aren't expected to be domain experts in every area of the business.

You're not expected to be a marketing expert AND a sales expert AND a finance expert AND a product expert.

You're expected to be the expert at finding and presenting data.

Your job is to know who knows things, not to know everything yourself.

I say "I don't know, but let me ask [person]" multiple times per week. That's not a weakness. That's how the job actually works.

Enlist the Subject Matter Experts Early

When you get a question about marketing campaign effectiveness, don't disappear into your spreadsheets for a week and emerge with an analysis.

Start by talking to marketing:

• When did the campaign actually start? (systems might have wrong dates)
• What were the goals? (generic "effectiveness" isn't specific enough)
• Who was the target audience? (helps you filter correctly)
• What does success look like to them? (defines your metrics)

This 15-minute conversation will save you hours of wasted work analyzing the wrong thing.

The Hidden Benefit of Collaboration

Here's the real magic: when you involve stakeholders in building the analysis, they're exponentially more likely to trust and act on the results.

They helped create it. They understand the assumptions. They've seen the sausage getting made. They own it alongside you.

Contrast this with the isolated analyst approach:

You disappear for a week. You build something in isolation using your assumptions. You present findings.

Even when your insights are correct, they feel threatening. People get defensive. "But that's not how our business works." "You don't understand our customers."

Why the resistance? Because you excluded them from the process.

Treat Every Project Like Joining a New Team

When I start a new analysis, I imagine I'm being temporarily recruited to that team.

I don't just take requirements and disappear. I:

• Ask to sit in on a team meeting
• Request access to their tools and dashboards
• Learn their jargon and how they think about their work
• Build relationships with key people

You'll learn faster, produce better work, and build a network that will serve you throughout your career.

The analysts who get promoted aren't just good at SQL. They're good at working with people.

The Lone Wolf Analyst Myth

There's a stereotype of the genius analyst who works in isolation, emerges with brilliant insights, and changes the company.

That's fiction.

In reality, impactful analytics happens through collaboration:

• Engineers help you access and understand data infrastructure
• Domain experts help you interpret findings correctly
• Managers help you prioritize what actually matters
• Peers help you spot mistakes and blind spots

The best insights I've ever produced involved at least 3-4 other people contributing their expertise.

How to Become a Better Connector

1. Ask more questions than you answer

Curiosity builds relationships faster than expertise.

2. Give credit generously

When presenting findings, acknowledge who helped: "I worked with Sarah from Marketing to understand the campaign structure."

3. Make your work accessible

Don't just drop a technical analysis. Explain it in terms your stakeholders understand.

4. Follow up and close the loop

After delivering an analysis, check back: "Did this help? What would make it more useful next time?"

These small actions build trust and make future collaborations easier.

The Bottom Line

Analytics is a team sport. The sooner you embrace this, the faster your career accelerates.

Stop trying to be the genius who knows everything. Start being the connector who brings the right people together to answer important questions.

That's where the real impact happens.

Common Questions About Analytics Collaboration

Q: What if I work remotely and can't easily "sit with" other teams?

Schedule virtual coffee chats. Join their Slack channels. Ask to observe their meetings via Zoom. Remote collaboration takes more intention, but it's absolutely possible.

Q: How do I balance collaboration with actually getting work done?

Front-load the collaboration. Spend 20% of project time upfront understanding context and requirements. Then you can work more independently with confidence you're solving the right problem.

Q: What if subject matter experts don't have time to help me?

Make it easy for them. Ask specific questions. Come prepared. Show you value their time. If they see you're serious and respectful, most people will make time.