Leadership Lessons and Highlights
► What is your methodology for identifying trends or patterns in data? “We almost always start with exploratory data analysis. Looking at the data through descriptive statistics, different types of plots, and initial analysis. It lets us map the size and shape of the data and figure out how we might do more complex analysis. They almost always have an interesting story, either about why they’re unique or about what glitched in the system to produce them.” ► Can you share an example of a time when your analysis revealed something unexpected? How did you approach it? “Looking at junior officer retention, many leaders assume that OPTEMPO and compensation are going to be a driving factor. Our analysis has shown that a lack of career agency and mismatched talent to job alignment were the principal issues.” ► How would you analyze the success of a new product or campaign?
PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP Kris Saling and Leading with Data
By Steve Leonard
Talent. We’re not always sure what it is, but we know we want some. But do we truly value talent? How well do we manage it? Do we really manage talent at all? Several months ago, I sat in a university conference room as some of our most respected faculty discussed talent management. Recognizing the challenges of a shifting job market and the encroachment of artificial intelligence into the workplace, talent management has taken on new dimensions to adapt to the evolving needs of business. Our job is largely focused on developing talent, transforming it from raw potential into honed steel. The elephant in the room that day? Data. As we push deeper into the 21st century, data – and the narrative it conveys – is increasingly the coin of the realm. The ability to understand that data, to translate the narrative into decisive and meaningful action, is what transforms good to great in our world today. And no one understands the nexus between talent management and data better than Kris Saling. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, she spent the early years of a distinguished military career as an engineer officer before refocusing on operations research and systems analysis. Or, as we say in Army, getting knee deep in the data. In that career
“Determining ROI is difficult, even when we have good metrics. If we start with a clearly stated value proposition, though, the metrics will go from there. ‘This product will save time’ in automation turns into how many minutes on mission this product saves the affected population. ‘This product will result in expanded awareness’ in messaging turns into an analysis of the populations being reached and what their engagement and conversion rates are. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be contextually relevant, and we have a lot of cases of bad metrics.” ► How do you present data-based analysis to non- technical leaders? “I picked up this trick from one of my teammates who gives a brilliant class on data storytelling. We use story plot diagrams to map out our briefings. Analysts are always in danger of falling in love with their analysis, and even if it’s a brilliant application of a particular technique, most leaders don’t want to know about it. They want the so-what, the bottom-line, why they should care.”
shift, Kris Saling found her true calling. When she arrived at the Pentagon in 2016, she took the building by storm, establishing data, analytics, and innovation teams and capabilities for the Army Talent Management Task Force, eventually leading the People Analytics directorate for the Assistant Secretary of the Army’s Manpower and Reserve Affairs office. As a leader in workforce innovation, she has spearheaded initiatives to modernize talent strategies, leverage data analytics, and pilot remote work in traditional environments. Her 2024 book, Data-Driven Talent Management, is a forward-thinking exploration of how analytics can revolutionize workforce strategies, a practical guide for leaders aiming to harness the power of data to enhance employee experiences and organizational outcomes.
► How do you use data visualization to gain buy-in on your efforts? “A picture is worth a thousand words. The visuals we use to tell our data stories are incredibly important and can provide context to us saying ‘we have a 50% increase’ which could mean going from 2 to 3 or 156 to 234, depending on the sample size. Geographic plots can help leaders understand if they have pervasive problems or problems localized to a region, plotting data over time shows whether a reported figure is a new problem or a long-standing process problem.”
► Why do you think the military struggles with data literacy? What can we do about it? “We’re making a lot of headway, but there’s a number of cultural issues we have to overcome to get the military on board with being data literate. When commanders and leaders realize that data is business and not technology, we make headway.” The epilogue on this short story is that Kris’s book and her research are now being weaved into our curriculum, helping to shape the next generation of business leaders as data-informed decision makers. This speaks volumes, not just to the importance of her work, but the accessibility of her knowledge and her willingness to share her expertise broadly. Something that makes her a little more than your average Army colonel.
Recently, I sat down with Kris to discuss her life, her profession, and her passion for data. ► What inspired your interest in data analytics, and how have you grown in this field?
“I’m a voracious bookworm and wanted to be a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Ian Malcolm (from Jurassic Park) when I grew up. Data analytics lets me sift into piles of information and put it into context to solve problems. I haven’t grown so much technically in that field as I’ve used it as a springboard. It helps me figure out new applications for technology and find the talent to build tools.” ► How would you explain your job to someone without a technical background? “My job is a combination of two things – interacting with academia and industry to discover best practices and technologies that can help the Army better manage its people and creating experiments using those to help the Army determine ROI, buy-in, and scale.”
12 MAY 2025 | NATSEC@WORK Powererd by ClearanceJobs
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NATSEC@WORK Powererd by ClearanceJobs | MAY 2025
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