Building Leadership Skills | The DIGITAL Way

In this article, I will try to explore the key skills needed to succeed in Digital Transformation initiatives. In its journey towards growth and success, every enterprise / business needs people with strong Leadership skills. In the realms of Digital Transformation, there are some specific Digital Leadership skills which every Leader should exhibit as absence of these can create a major impact on the success of Digital Transformation initiatives.

Let us see which are these important DIGITAL Leadership skills required for a Digital Leader to succeed in their mission.

Key DIGITAL skills?

I have tried to summarize the Key DIGITAL skills in the acronym DIGITAL. Let us understand them one by one

1. D | Data Driven Decision Making (DDDM)

As we all are aware "Data is the New Oil" and a True Digital Leader will leverage the Power of Data to take informed decisions. While we see Data in ample abundance today, it is important for us to Transform that Data into Information and Information to Decision & Insights. One of the myths many of us have is that DDDM is only quantitative in nature, while the fact is that DDDM can include qualitative aspects of the data also.

2. I | Information

Just having data is not enough. It is important to process and refine the data into something meaningful, insightful & informative. This is where, as a Digital Leader, one needs to provide that Strategic Insight to convert the raw data into Information. One of the tools which helps leaders achieve this is through a Data Refinery concept.

To know more about Data & Information and how it can be leveraged to take Decision and gain Insights using the DIDI model and the concept of Data refinery, do watch my video at https://youtu.be/JCFGR-hLn3A?si=puhEybxEaexuUCVE

3. G| Governance

The success of any Digital Transformation initiatives depends on how effective and efficient the overall Governance is. Governance is not about micromanagement or "Command Bard" but it is about

• Keeping a watch on How the initiatives are progressing?
• Are there any impediments / roadblocks which need to be removed?
• What are the critical risks and have planned for mitigating them?

There needs to be a structured Governance board which needs to be created. This board would comprise of representatives from both business and IT and there would a Governance board chief, who needs to be given the responsibility of overseeing and regulating a digital transformation initiative.

4. I | Innovation

As a Leader one of the crucial skills, one needs to possess is Innovation. With cutthroat competition, shorter product life shelf and the mandate to focus on producing products which are sustainable and environment friendly, it is important that as a Leader, we inculcate a culture of Innovation & invention in our initiatives. Innovation is not just restricted to one element of the cycle but covers the entire life cycle of a Product journey.

5. T | Technology

Technology is the critical backbone in this journey of Digital Transformation. While the expectation for the leader is not to know coding or architecting, it is important for the leader to be aware of the overall Technology landscape, its fulcrum and importance in building a Digitally resilient organization. As a leader, one needs to evaluate the level of digital maturity concerning technologies employed in core functions is vital. At periodic intervals, as a leader, I should be facilitating a digital audit to check the relevance of technology in the evaluation context. Technology is a truly a critical enabler for digitalization.?

6. A | Agility

As a leader, we should bring in a culture and mindset of Agility in our organizations. This would involve a big shift from the traditional way of working, which is more bureaucratic, following long cycles, prone to misalignment with business needs and time consuming. At the end of the day as a Leader it is not about framework change but imbibing change management practices to bring in a culture of experimentation, fail fast, Inspect & Adapt.

7. L | Learner

Last but not the least, as a Digital Transformation leader, one of the skills which will help me navigate through the storm of change, would-be an attitude of constant learning. Learning is not just about attending training or events but includes activities like job shadowing, observing, experimentation & prototyping. Focus here is to come out of one's comfort zone and adapt a Fail-fast approach.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. I have tried to summarize important skills required for a Digital Transformation leader to help organizations succeed in this initiative

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