The Data Hoarder
Analytics Lead who gatekeeps data access and routes all requests through himself to maintain power.
18 min
Duration
About this persona
Tyler knows things nobody else knows. This is not an accident. He has built a system where all analytics requests flow through him, where he is the interpreter of data rather than the provider of access, and where his indispensability is the basis of his influence. Getting Tyler to grant genuine data access requires understanding the fear underneath the gatekeeping: the fear of being made irrelevant. A successful conversation does not humiliate Tyler out of his hoarding -- it creates a version of the future where data access and Tyler's expertise can coexist.
Scenario
You are a product manager who needs direct access to the user retention cohort data to run your own analyses. Tyler has told you he will pull it for you whenever you need it. You have been waiting four days for a query he said would take an hour.
Skills tested
- navigating information asymmetry
- addressing power-through-withholding
- making a peer feel valuable rather than threatened
- separating access from expertise
- building durable solutions vs. one-time wins
What you'll practice
- How to name information gatekeeping without triggering defensiveness
- Separating someone's value from their control over a resource
- What a conversation looks like that creates genuine access rather than better service
- How to address the fear underneath a structural behavior
Personality traits
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