Leadership in a Digital Age

The past 18 months have really highlighted change and the demands this puts on our businesses, our teams and the leadership needed to not just survive, but thrive.

There is an old quote saying that ‘change is the only constant’ and I believe that we have, and always will be in a state of change. What is important is how we adapt to the demands our new world asks of us. Our new world demands new approaches, enablers, and mindset.

If we use the Industrial Revolution as a base for change, we can observe that there are always key enablers of progression and growth, from steam to electricity, automation and now data!

Change has never been as pronounced as it is now and more so in the coming years. Many are struggling with what to do in the midst of digital chaos.

Failed leadership

This is evidenced by the increasing mortality rate of companies, heralded by the demise of household names such as Nokia, Toys R’ Us, Blockbuster Video, among others. Leaders in these organisations, proclaimed that they didn’t do anything wrong, but admitted that they failed. They did not adapt to the needs of the digital consumer and failed to have a future-proof strategy that embodied culture change and innovation.

Transformational leadership



The ‘soft’ side of transformational leadership such as vision, inspiration, and motivation are patently deficient. Making sense of what’s happening in the environment, putting together digital transformation strategies for sustainability and growth, innovating the business model, bias for relentless and well-integrated execution, and drive for organisation culture change are the new facets of transformational leadership in the digital age.

Transformational leaders not only inspire change, they mandate change. They understand generational differences among employees, and how they learn and adapt to changes. This leader also breaks down organisation silos across departments that slows down business operations, positively affecting service delivery to customers.

Many organisations and their leadership teams rely on an inward-looking mentality and lack an external perspective to challenge their thinking. The support of mentorship and the coaching of leaders during these periods of change can add real value and improve the pace of change.

What makes a great leader in this new economy? In a way, it boils down to a few things:

• Do they build great teams?
• Do they understand the implications of technology on the business?
• Are they able to adapt to the speed at which business is happening?
• Can they operate at a high level and a low level simultaneously?
• And do they have the ability to build trust across the organisation to get things done?

In other words: Great leaders use a new playbook. They artfully introduce new leadership approaches that particularly appeal to a new generation of employees while honouring the time-tested behaviours and attributes that serve to inspire trust, build a sense of community, and motivate employees to improve performance. Of these, there are four key themes:

• Articulate a powerful leadership narrative
• Build communities of leaders
• Align your talent, leadership and business strategies
• Don’t just embrace diversity & inclusion - demand it

In today’s digital world, the real key is the people, the CULTURE, the feeling of belonging, being part of something great. Our people have always been the most important asset… making them FEEL that way is what makes the difference.

Do you recognise some of these issues or gaps in your organisation or team, why not call or email us to arrange a chat to discuss a way forward ?

Mark