# Balancing Individual Contributor Work and Management in Data Leadership

DevFeed: [Balancing Individual Contributor Work and Management in Data Leadership](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-art-of-data-management-20044.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://technology.doximity.com/articles/the-art-of-data-management>)

Author: Doximity

Published: 2024-07-22T15:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Doximity](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/doximity.md>)

Topics: [Data Management](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data-management.md>), [data-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data-engineering.md>), [data analytics](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data-analytics.md>)

Tags: [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [data-analytics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data-analytics.md>), [data-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data-engineering.md>), [data-management](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data-management.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion article examines the Data Strategist role and the player-coach model in data leadership. It argues that combining individual contributor work with people management can build trust, improve collaboration, and provide a closer understanding of technical challenges.

## Source excerpt

The rise of a new title in the data industry, Data Strategist, caught my attention recently. Initially, I was skeptical. "Isn't this just a fancy term for a Data Manager?" I wondered. However, as I delved deeper, I realized my perspective was heavily influenced by my recent tenure at Doximity. At Doximity, the Data Engineering and Data Analytics Manager roles have always blended technical individual contributor work (often referred to as "IC Work") with responsibilities as people managers and functional leaders in the data organization and product. Prior to Doximity, I rarely had managers who had the expectations or bandwidth to do both. This player/coach role might sound too good to be true. Imagine a role where you could work with data, cultivate people and teams, and build data strategies that propel a business towards success, all without working 80 hours a week. After over five years as a manager at Doximity, I can confidently say it is not only possible, but it is also the best type of management role (and a role we are currently hiring for 🤩). Inspired, I reached out to our Data Leadership team here at Doximity to discuss why and how we aim to find balance amidst the chaos. Benefits of IC Work When Managing "Actions speak loudest. One of the fastest ways I found to gain trust from reports, peers, and stakeholders is by writing code to address a technical issue they care about. This approach works especially well if you are inheriting or joining a new team." - Doximity Data Analytics Manager "Understanding what all the teams are working on and enhancing collaboration among them is probably one of the best things about being a manager because you can facilitate communication to different silos that could benefit from each other." - Doximity Data Engineering Manager Whether it has been communicated explicitly or not, if you're expected to do IC work and management, you're doing two jobs. However, I view this as an opportunity to actively improve my skills and co