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Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 10h

More code ≠ more influence.

Clarity.
Context.
Communication.

That’s what makes you the expert.
Not the monkey.

https://links.ivanovyordan.com/jHep

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 5d

You write docs nobody reads.
Then wonder why nobody trusts your judgment.

Docs aren’t paperwork.
They’re proof you think in systems, not sprints.

https://links.ivanovyordan.com/jHep

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 6d

Data governance isn’t a doc.
It’s receipts.

You need
→ 3 objectives
→ a Slack ping
→ one-pager that proves you run clean

Guide for hands-on data leads:
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/intro-to-data-governance-for-data-engineers-mini-course

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 6d

You don’t get roadmap influence by begging.
You earn it by being predictable, boring, and right.

Predictability builds trust.
Trust buys autonomy.
Autonomy creates influence.

Ship clean. Communicate risk early.

Then you won’t ask for a seat.
They’ll save you one.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 6d

AI replaces grunt work
not your sharp thinking.

Let AI take low-leverage tasks.
Build trust and clear data first.
Use AI to cut cloud costs and accelerate delivery.

https://www.datagibberish.com/p/group-enablement-call-oct-2025-ai-friend-or-foe

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 7d

You don’t get roadmap influence by begging.
You earn it by being predictable, boring, and right.

Predictability builds trust.
Trust buys autonomy.
Autonomy creates influence.

Ship clean. Communicate risk early.

Then you won’t ask for a seat.
They’ll save you one.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 9d

Unclear success kills data projects.
Without clarity, scope balloons and budgets bleed.

Define done in one measurable sentence.
Cut rework and align teams with one clear goal.

https://www.datagibberish.com/p/why-data-engineering-projects-die

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 11d

Every company has a Jira graveyard
full of brilliant but irrelevant tickets.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 11d

Most data engineers don’t burn out from bad code.
They burn out from bad scope.

Seniors say “I’ll try.”
Staffs ask “Which moves the business most?”

Clarity = leverage.

When everything’s important, nothing is.
If nothing breaks when you skip it,
you’ve found your first no.

1

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 12d

No one owns your migration?
It’s dead.

Assign a single owner who can cut scope and ship.
This single move kills delays, cuts cost, and clears scope.

https://www.datagibberish.com/p/why-data-engineering-projects-die

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 13d

AI will replace grunt tasks, not your judgment.
Use AI to kill friction and speed pipelines.
Build trust, clean data first.
Cut cloud waste and rework.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/group-enablement-call-oct-2025-ai-friend-or-foe

P.S. Save or repost to lead AI change.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 15d

Tools ≠ Strategy.

One is a lever.
The other decides what’s worth lifting.

“Our strategy is moving to Snowflake.”
No. That’s procurement.

Strategy is the why.
Tools are the how.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 16d

If a pipeline falls in the forest and
no exec sees it, did it even exist?

You build great stuff no one sees.
Then wonder why your budget gets cut.

Visibility builds trust.
Trust builds sponsors.

Shout your wins before you ever need to say no.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 16d

AI kills grunt work, not your judgment.
Let AI handle tedious tasks.
Build trust & clean data first.
Use AI to cut cloud costs, speed delivery.
https://www.datagibberish.com/p/group-enablement-call-oct-2025-ai-friend-or-foe

P.S. Save or repost to lead AI change.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 19d

Someone once said to me:
“ Why do we need tests for SQL? It’s just queries.

Two weeks later, they asked why the numbers were wrong.

**Pain is a great manager.**

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 20d

**I stopped saying “we fixed the ETL.”**
Started saying “we stopped $50K in losses.”

Same work.
Different paycheck.

**Language turns maintenance into strategy.**

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 20d

Hard work makes you valuable.
Clarity makes you visible.

Most data engineers stay stuck not for lack of skill.
But because they act like executors, not experts.

If your work “speaks for itself,” it’s whispering.
https://links.ivanovyordan.com/jHep

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 20d

Most “data leaders” I know don’t have the title.

They’re the ones others ask:
“How should we model this?”
“Does this metric make sense?”

Leadership isn’t a badge.
It’s a reputation for clarity under pressure.

1

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 20d

7,000 data pros read Data Gibberish now.
It started with one post nobody saw.
Two years of showing up.
Just clarity, consistency, and trust.
50% off Data Gibberish Pro till Friday
https://www.datagibberish.com/78183657

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 24d

Most “data leaders” I know don’t have the title.
They’re the ones others ask:

“How should we model this?”
“Does this metric make sense?”

Leadership isn’t a badge.
It’s a reputation for clarity under pressure.

1

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 26d

Has silence ever cost you trust?

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 26d

Silence kills data careers
More than incompetence

You think it makes you look in control.
It doesn’t.

It makes people nervous.

Leaders don’t see effort.
They see absence.

Fix the bug, but show the work.
Because great engineers solve problems.

Visible engineers get promoted.

1

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 27d

Hate “AI strategy” meetings?
Skip the roadmap.

Make AI boring, safe & default.

Rule: Every task starts with an AI draft.
Tool: Whatever your team actually uses.
Goal: Faster output, same brains.

We don’t outsource thinking.
We outsource typing.

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · 28d

Hate writing docs?

Start doing this instead:

1/ Record your screen while explaining the task
2/ Transcribe it
3/ Paste it into this AI prompt
4/ Copy, paste, done

No more blank pages.
Just clean, helpful docs in 7 mins.

Guide + promp: https://links.ivanovyordan.com/j2cU

Yordan Ivanov @ivanovyordan.com · Oct 8

It took me way too long to get to Head of Data. Not because I was bad at my job. But because I had no plan.

Don’t repeat my mistake.