The Spreadsheet Wizard is a specific and valuable workplace archetype. They are the person who, when presented with a data problem, opens a spreadsheet and produces a solution that involves pivot tables, conditional formatting, and at least one formula that nobody else in the organization fully understands.
Identifying characteristics
- Has strong opinions about the correct use of VLOOKUP versus INDEX/MATCH
- Has built at least one spreadsheet that is now considered critical infrastructure
- Is regularly asked to "just take a quick look" at other people's spreadsheets, which takes three hours
- Has a folder of spreadsheet templates that they have built over the years and will not share without explanation
- Experiences mild distress when they see a spreadsheet that uses merged cells
Their superpower
The Spreadsheet Wizard can take a problem that seems to require a custom software solution and solve it in a spreadsheet. They can automate repetitive tasks, build dashboards, and produce analyses that would take others days in a few hours. They are the reason many organizations have not needed to invest in more sophisticated tools.
Their kryptonite
The Spreadsheet Wizard's kryptonite is the spreadsheet that has grown beyond its original purpose. The spreadsheet that started as a simple tracker and is now a 47-tab monster with circular references and formulas that reference cells in other files that may or may not still exist. The Spreadsheet Wizard knows this spreadsheet is a problem. They also know that fixing it would take longer than anyone is willing to allocate.
How to work with them
Be specific about what you need. "Can you make a spreadsheet for this?" is not a useful brief. "I need to track X, Y, and Z, and produce a weekly summary that shows A and B" is a useful brief. The Spreadsheet Wizard will produce something better than you imagined. They will also add features you did not ask for, because they saw the opportunity.
The appreciation: The Spreadsheet Wizard is often undervalued because their work is invisible until it is needed. When it is needed, it is indispensable. Tell them their work is valued. They will appreciate it and immediately start building something to track the appreciation.