Designing Data Systems For The U.S. Federal Government To Help Build Better Tech That Truly Serves the Public

I've reported on and worked within the global technology sector. I design data systems for the U.S. federal government to help build better tech that truly serves the public. I'm also an adjunct lecturer of Interaction Design at The George Washington University, and my first book -- Designing Data Governance from the Ground Up -- was adapted into a LinkedIn Learning course. I help data leaders at orgs of all sizes build blueprints to design cultures that teach everyone how to use data well.

What motivated you to take your career in the direction you did? Is having this role you are in something you always wanted?

I was motivated to write my book after years of working in the tech sector as an AI analyst and service designer for Chief Data Officers. As the amount of data that businesses produce and ingest increased, the amount of leaders who said they're data-driven decreased. I also saw how data governance -- the people, processes, and tools used to manage your data at scale -- is the true backbone of successful AI. If you don't have data quality standards which you can automate throughout your technical environment, you won't build successful AI.

I have always wanted to write professionally, so in that sense, writing a book is something I always wanted. That said, I thought I'd do my writing as a professional journalist and didn't see a book coming to fruition. That's mostly because I've never seen myself as someone who writes fiction, and my view of book-writing excluded non-fiction. I chose not to be a full-time journalist after freelancing for a year after grad school and seeing how the industry was crumbling. In that sense, I didn't get the career I always wanted, but by writing the book, I got more than I had wanted.

How do you succeed in business without really trying?

Don't be a hero: Outsource when and where you can within your budget. Since I worked full-time and as an adjunct lecturer, I had limited time to promote my book as well. I hired an excellent publicist on retainer for three months who could pitch me for podcast appearances to promote my book. I would've never made all the progress that I did with book promotion on my own, and you're not meant to do it all on your own either.

When did you consider yourself a success? Did you ever have to deal with imposter syndrome? How do you overcome imposter syndrome?

I do consider myself a success when I look at my career. I'm also very competitive with myself, and I have a negative tendency to look at what I haven't achieved while being proud of myself at the same time. In many ways, I've achieved more than I thought possible. In other ways, I have fallen short by not hitting some life milestones that seemed like a given when I was young.

The upside is that I have much less imposter syndrome than I used to. After years of wondering and worrying if I knew enough to belong in tech, I know that I absolutely do. I have enough hard-won knowledge to speak up when I know the answer, and to enter rooms knowing that I belong.

Connect with Lauren Maffeo on Instagram here: Instagram.com/laurenmaffeo