Leadership in the digital era, is more fluid and dynamic than it ever was. Agility, adaptability and the ability to lead fast-paced change are the key digital leadership skills required. Acquiring and staying at a leadership position requires continuous learning and rapid execution. Leaders, today, are working in a highly dynamic environment where the future destination is unknown. The ability to recognize that new outcomes may evolve on the way is a trait that successful digital leaders must possess.
While there are certain qualities that are needed by a leader in any era, the digital era presents a new set of challenges. Leadership in the digital era must act as agents of change and nurture risk tolerance in the teams. Also, traditional hierarchical leadership structure must be challenged to create a more inclusive leadership where the digital leaders provide their teams with new capabilities, tools, and mindsets along with greater decision- making ability.
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With so many new technologies evolving every day, it is very easy for anyone to get confused or carried away. Leaders in the digital era, need to be aware of what’s new in the market but incorporate only what is needed rather than opting for the most popular or the cheapest solutions. It is not the best technology that will set the organization on the path of success but the technology that helps the organization meet its goals.
An exciting area of technology that digital leaders must-try is the use of simulation and gamification to drive the desired behavior. These are particularly used in performance management, employee engagement and talent management processes. This is one of the most exciting areas of research in technology that the disruptive leadership must invest in to enhance employee engagement.
Leadership in the digital era cannot ignore the use of social media that has become an essential part of how teams communicate in an organization. Social media tools for communication, networking, collaboration, and decision-making are now helping virtual teams to connect and complete tasks even without meeting each other. Digital leaders must not only be aware of the latest trends but also how it can impact different areas of their organizations. While social media helps in connecting and communicating easily with multiple people across different geographies and time zones, it can also be distracting and take away precious time from actual work. Leadership in the digital age not only involves harnessing the benefits of technology but also dealing with its limitations.
The most important technological tool for digital leadership transformation is analytics. Predictive analytics can help analyze the existing data to identify causal relationships and then develop algorithms that can be applied to predict outcomes. These tools can take varied data and turn them into intelligence which can be used to make informed decisions. It can help the leadership understand correlations between different parameters and help them predict challenges which also gives them an opportunity to make course corrections. The amount of data and the ever-changing technologies can be highly overwhelming for organizations. However, what can make a difference is a digital leadership transformation. A leader who is agile, adaptive and can use appropriate technology to meet the organizational goals can not only survive but actually thrive in this digital era. Informed decision-making lies at the center of leadership in the digital era, which when done correctly can prove to be a great competitive advantage for any organization.
References:
- How the digital era will affect leadership responsibilities- Clinton Wingrover, 05 September, 2019
- Top 6 attributes of a Leader for the Digital Era- Kristin Shackelford, 28 January, 2019
