Digital Leadership Skills that CEOs and Business Leaders Need to Have

"The problem is that at a lot of big companies, the process becomes a substitute for thinking. You’re encouraged to behave like a little gear in a complex machine. Frankly, it allows you to keep people who aren’t that smart, who aren’t that creative."

Digital leadership is here to stay!

For some traditional leaders, this fact is a bitter pill to swallow. After all, not everybody has been taught to be digital natives. The CEOs, business leaders, and entrepreneurs of today, including someone like Elon Musk, were born at a time when most systems were still done using old technologies. But come to think of it: It is the same CEOs and leaders who have introduced their companies to new and daring technologies.

How could they have done that, you ask?

The answer is simple: These leaders preferred to be agile and forward-thinking. They knew that businesses fluctuate and change every now and then, and they cannot just be complacent and watch the landscape transform without doing anything. When digital technology boomed some years ago, these leaders knew that they had to go with the flow and accept this new culture. And they were right.

Digital leaders possess a clear vision and purpose for their organizations. While they could be initially resistant to change, it’s not enough to hinder them from learning how to tackle various changes in their systems. These leaders knew why digital transformations are crucial to the survival of their companies. 

Not only do they encourage a competitive atmosphere at work, but they also push people towards innovation. After all, that’s where everybody is heading.

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What Digital Leaders Do.

You might as well look at digital leaders as solutions-based individuals.  They fix what’s broken, and in doing so, they seek fast yet long-term solutions. Most are intuitive, for they know if a problem is on the surface, or if there is a deep-rooted issue that needs to be addressed.

If team members are quite resistant to change, digital leaders are quick to think of the many reasons his organization is blocking such advancement. Could it be fear of the unknown? Perhaps they have budgetary concerns? Could it be the resistance to unlearning what they knew?

This is where the partnership takes place. A digital leader does not implement changes on her own. Instead, she takes his team with her. 

He collaborates with his team or inspires them to form sub-groups, to work on a task until digital transformations have fully taken place. Such a partnership is also external. Leaders look for fellow digital leaders and influencers so they can collaborate on projects, digital migration, and other innovative practices that cannot be done within the organization alone.

The digital transformation

Digital transformation includes, but is not exclusive to, the following: automation, online processes, data-driven procedures, real-time responsiveness, self-service, and intelligence (optimization). True digital leaders must be able to tick these off from his or her list, and ensure that their team understands and copes with these changes.

It is then necessary for leaders to come up with a framework for innovation. They could assign a special team to collaborate with IT and business experts and discuss a framework involving the aforementioned digital solutions. Leaders are able to identify which solutions are relevant and innovative, and which ones will not meet the needs of the 21st century customer.

Digital transformation may not be easy, but it is not an ugly process either. Leaders just have to embrace it and accept that all businesses will eventually take that road, whether they like it or not.

About The Author

Professor Theodore Henderson is an Author-Coach-Trainer, working with entrepreneurs, small businesses, and executives for business and leadership success. Click for info.