In this month’s Book of the Month, we’re looking at Fuad Hendricks’ “The One About Data … The Coffee Shop Chats.” This is the first in what is becoming a series of coffee shop chats. The book sets up a true-to-life scenario of a bunch of peers having coffee and solving the world’s data problems during a casual get-together.
This book strikes an interesting tone for the reader. If one is familiar with the work of Patrick Lencioni – where the book frames a practicable concept around a fable – Hendricks’ book strikes a similar tone, but in the trappings of different personas who are engaged in thoughtful conversations in a coffee shop. Hendricks takes the reader through an experience of hanging out and talking about data strategy and a series of related topics, like data quality, generative AI, and data literacy, just to name a few. Throughout each discussion, one of the characters provides a sidebar soliloquy-type reflection about the conversation, like a stage whisper divulging knowledge to the reader. Each chapter is then wrapped up with some reflections from Hendricks.
Hendricks starts the book with conversations about data strategy, then does an artful segue into defining value and exercising ethics. The way the book moves from topic to topic makes it very refreshing to read, and the characters are truly entertaining. The way each different persona tackles the topic and conversation gives the reader some insight into how different professionals deal with data in their organizations; something data professionals sometimes forget about when trying to socialize key aspects of data management initiatives. If nothing else, this book gives the reader some context as to how other points of view are challenged within an organization.
Hendricks also gets into some excellent conversations about sharing, mastering, and managing data quality, and ultimately using generative AI. He skillfully presents these topics in an order that gives the reader a lot of context and key reflections on ethically using data for AI initiatives. Responsibility and ethics are difficult topics to teach, but in the trappings of casual coffee conversations, the reader is expertly brought along the journey in a very approachable manner, without feeling like the book is lecturing or dryly teaching what a critical data element is or the nature of a center of excellence.
Ultimately, this book is a fun, single-sit-down-and-read experience that readers will find insightful. With a wide range of topics and key reflections on each area presented, there are some takeaways that one can bring back to their home organization and provide meaningful impact. In under 100 pages, the book quickly gets to each point while highlighting that the core of data management is people, process, and technology. Overall, a good entertaining read that everyone should pick up.
More About the Author
Fuad Hendricks is an accomplished executive management consultant with extensive expertise in strategy, business transformation, and technology innovation.
With a career spanning three continents, he has led global strategy initiatives across the U.K., Europe, and MEA regions, specializing in data, AI, and cross-industry technological solutions.
His thought leadership is underscored by published academic papers on generative AI and conversational AI in the experience economy.
As a passionate advocate for collaboration and continuous learning, Hendricks holds an MBA, B.Sc. in business management, and PGDip in Data Science, and he has completed an executive Data Strategy program at Berkeley, Haas School of Business. He actively participates in professional communities, holding memberships and certifications from DAMA, MBCS, Mensa UK, and leading technology providers such as Google, AWS, and Microsoft.