Best of Tableau Web: June 2022

A highlight of tips, tricks and inspiration for Tableau and data visualization.

Collage of visualizations featured in Best of the Tableau Web

Hello DataFam! Welcome to the roundup of Tableau blogs and videos from June 2022.

This month I wanted to tackle something slightly different. For the Data Leadership Collaborative Braindates, I hosted a session on Imposter Syndrome. I chose the topic because it’s something that’s dogged me for years, starting in some form soon after the publication of The Big Book of Dashboards.

The Voice of Doubt in my head says, “Look at all these people making amazing Tableau content, and writing inspirational posts about design and storytelling. They’re all better than you.”

Meanwhile, the Rational Voice tries to drown out the doubt: “It’s ludicrous to feel like an imposter. I published a book. I co-host a popular dataviz series. I co-host one of the keynotes at Tableau Conference. (Heck, this year I even opened the show backed by a band!)”

And yet sometimes the Voice of Doubt still wins the day.

Some of you may remember Steve Martin’s 1980s movie “The Man With Two Brains.” There’s a wonderful scene where he goes to the shrine of his dead wife (don’t ask!) for “a sign, any sign” that it’s okay for him to start a new relationship. What happens next in the scene is how I sometimes feel—me saying to the universe, “Just give me a sign that I know what I’m doing in this world of data. Any sign will do,” … and then promptly ignoring any evidence to support it.

Watch the clip, and you’ll see what I mean.

When I announced the braindate on Twitter, it sparked a fascinating conversation thread. Clearly I’m not alone in feeling this way, and others shared great ideas for dealing with imposter syndrome.

What’s this got to do with Best of the Tableau Web?

Writing or recording content is time consuming. It also requires you to put your knowledge out in public. This is often the point at which the Voices of Doubt and Reason start the internal argument.

I always have, and will, encourage people to share their knowledge, no matter where they are on their journey. It might make you nervous or feel a little scary, but if you’re talking about something you’re passionate or knowledgeable about, go for it! Add to the wider knowledge of your communities. Know that it’s perfectly normal to have those doubts. Also know that I, along with the DataFam and the rest of the Tableau team, appreciate your efforts. Keep putting yourself out there, and let the Voice of Reason win the day.

With that, enjoy Best of the Tableau Web with tips, tricks, inspiration and more produced by the Tableau community. Don't forget to check out the list of blogs we follow for Best of the Tableau Web. If you don’t see yours on the list, we invite you to add it here.