Once upon a time, in a bustling company preparing for the festive season, there was a looming threat – the Data Governance Grinch.

The Grinch wasn’t your typical villain. In fact, most companies have one – a challenging stakeholder who actively resists change and works to derail Data Governance initiatives. Instead of stealing gifts, this Grinch thrived on creating obstacles, sowing doubt, and attempting to prove that the organisation had never needed Data Governance before and certainly didn’t need it now.

The Grinch had plenty of theories and misconceptions about Data Governance, which he was all too eager to spread. Fortunately, the company had Amelia, their dedicated Data Governance Manager. Calm, confident, and endlessly patient, Amelia had encountered Grinches before and knew exactly how to handle them. As the Grinch attempted to sow confusion, Amelia stepped in to explain to the senior stakeholders why his ideas wouldn’t work and what needed to be done instead.

"There's no need to get involved – just let IT run the programme!"

The Grinch’s first misconception was that IT should run the whole show. "Leave it to the IT team!" he proclaimed. In many organisations, IT teams do take the lead on Data Governance, often focusing heavily on tools and technology. While these tools are useful, Amelia knew they only addressed the symptoms of bad data, not the root cause.

Amelia explained to the senior leaders that the real culprit was messy, inconsistent data entry – a business issue, not just an IT one. "No matter how many tools IT uses," she said, "the data won’t improve unless we fix how it’s captured in the first place." She made it clear that Data Governance was a business-wide responsibility.

With Amelia’s guidance, the company realised that every department needed to take ownership of their data. It wasn’t an easy shift, but with Amelia’s facilitation amd encouragement, the departments began working together, fixing data issues at the source, and keeping the Grinch’s negativity at bay.

"Getting everyone involved is a waste of time – it’s just a quick project!"

Not one to give up easily, the Grinch returned with another sweeping claim: "Data Governance is just a one-time project. We’ll be done with it in no time!"

Amelia firmly countered this misconception. "Data Governance isn’t a project with an end date," she told the stakeholders. "It’s an ongoing journey." She explained how many initiatives fail because they treat Data Governance as a checklist. While such projects may look successful on paper – with tools implemented and processes documented – they often fall apart because people don’t change their mindset about data.

Amelia emphasised that for Data Governance to succeed, it had to become part of the company’s culture. Departments needed to embed it into their daily routines and collaborate continuously. "This isn’t a quick fix," she said. "It’s a commitment to long-term improvement." With Amelia’s leadership, the company began to see Data Governance as an evolving practice, one that would grow stronger over time – much to the Grinch’s dismay.

"Oh fine, let’s get on with it then. We’ve got LOADS to do, so let’s do it all at once."

Even when the Grinch begrudgingly agreed to support the Data Governance initiative, Amelia wasn’t off the hook. His next tactic was to push for the ‘big bang’ approach – trying to solve all the company’s data problems in one go. "We can just tackle everything at once!" he declared.

Amelia quickly stepped in to stop this plan in its tracks. "Trying to do it all at once is a recipe for failure," she warned. "It’s like trying to prepare everything for Christmas in a single evening – impossible and exhausting." She explained that a big bang approach often leads to burnout, delays, and incomplete results.

Instead, Amelia advocated for starting small. She proposed running pilot programmes to test ideas and build momentum with quick wins. These smaller efforts gave the team confidence and a clear direction for expanding the initiative. By moving step by step, the company avoided the Grinch’s trap and steadily strengthened its Data Governance efforts.

Perhaps the most important lesson of all…

And so, the company flourished, their Data Governance work thriving now that Amelia had kept the Grinch’s sabotage at bay. But as the festive season approached, Amelia began to wonder: "What if we brought the Grinch onside? What if we made him feel included?"

Amelia decided to try, meeting the Grinch where he was. She listened to his concerns, acknowledged his frustrations, and gave him a clear role in the initiative. Slowly but surely, the Grinch began to see the value of Data Governance. His heart seemed to grow three sizes as he started contributing insights no one else had considered.

Amelia’s efforts reminded the company of an important truth: success in Data Governance isn’t just about tools or processes – it’s about people. By addressing concerns with empathy, building trust, and taking a measured approach, the company created a sustainable programme that supported its success for many holidays to come.

And they all lived data-happily ever after!

The End.

I hope these tips help you keep any workplace Grinches far away from your Data Governance initiatives now and in the new year! For more on avoiding common Data Governance pitfalls, follow the link below to access my full report, The Top Data Governance Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a joyful holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year. Thank you for reading, and see you in 2025!

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