How to learn the “digital mindset”?
Yesterday I had 60 board members from all around the world at IMD in the room, most of them in their late 50s and facing important decision about digital initiatives.
One recurring request was on "learning digital”, and my opinion is that, just like other business topics (finance, marketing), it’s a whole: people, media, events, books, etc. I am working on a list of such things to send them, so here is my question: what would you give someone who asks you for pointers on how to “learn” the digital mindset?
My ideas
- Invest in startups, get involved in their life by meeting the team regularly and working with them on developing their business. Do stuff, don’t just sit on the sideline.
- Talk to the teenagers, ask them to show you what they do with their phones. Don’t judge, ask them about the value for them, and also about what they don’t use and why.
- Install the apps that are on top of the stores, all 30 of them, test them and see how they work.
- Read WIRED UK, Quartz, The Verge, TechCrunch, and other digital native media.
- Setup google alerts on keywords, set them to weekly so you don’t get buried
- Attend events like The Next Web, Leade.rs C2 Montréal, SXSW, DLD Conference, etc
- Join local gatherings and meetups, go for events that offer interaction, not keynotes.
- Read books that theorize digital, and books that tell the story of digital journeys like The everything store on Amazon.
What would you add to that list?
Regenerative DevOps. Collaborative intelligence. Digital & hybrid events. Free and agile at heart - DevOpsDays-Geneva organizer -> 19 & 20 mai 25. TEDxGeneva organizer 11.2025 The intelligences conversations.
7 年Hello Laurent, we have yet not met, but here goes my 2 cents. Tell them to spend at least 1 day per month if not per week in a fablab, co-working space or eventually a hackerspace and participate in the daily life, not just as an observer. They are very enriching experiences. Also they are welcome at the Responsive City Camps, very interactive and constructive barcamp style meetings.
Global Digital Transformation & Marketing Operations Lead
7 年Also.."Be Digital". Experience digital solutions in your day to day life. Browse, shop, book, read, share, connect objects and let your mobile help you along the way. Learn by using, see where and when these solutions make your life easier. And if they don't, look for better alternatives, make your own opinion, even more, imagine a better, sharper solution. Contribute in accelerating the progress toward it. Technology enablers will most likely be already available, somewhere. BUILD your own mindset.
Digital Transformation & Strategy | Technology Governance | Technology and Society
7 年-> Change your relation with your personal computer... every time something seems stupid, or to complicate, google it and check if others find a better way to do what you were trying to do on your computer. Similar to https://permies.com/t/2328/a/573/techsupportcheatsheet.jpg I meet a lot of peoples that didn't know about ctr-c or to move a column on Excel or send a big file by email... all those things can easily be found by googling.
Born in 324 ppm - Compte personnel - Mes publications n'engagent que moi
7 年Invite the board to a Hackaton, even if they are just Guests, they could take a glance to each team project and learn some methods like Design Thinking process...