admin The dawn of the digital age warrants operations to be conducted in accordance with a set of new norms and principles. The age-old playbook of leadership has been rendered ineffective in the face of the alterations of the concurrent era. As businesses embrace the third and fourth revolutions, it is imperative that they imbibe the vocabulary and the indispensable spirit of this period. Leadership styles have altered over the by-gone decade to fit the novel demands and requirements of the digital age. Summarized below are some of the canonical tenets that characterize the arena of digital leadership:
Diversified Leadership
The hitherto accepted norm of ‘doing more with less’ is now out of focus. It has lost its value in the augmenting digital age. This era is characterized by the inevitable need to ‘do more, but differently’. This implies that the imperatives to embody diversity are paralleled by the high stakes of the game. The intense competition of the digital period demands the need to diversify with the resources available. The forces of creativity and innovation must be instrumentalized to drive change. The role of leaders in the digital world is not circumscribed by their traditionally defined functions, but rather is marked by ingenuity to diversely empower, connect, and unlock the talents of their team members. They have to inspire them to do more, but differently.
Reflexivity in Ideating Action
The uniform path of leadership now stands discredited. The path to success is anything but singular. Its multidimensional character must be reflected in the leader as well. The concurrent period values the skills of leaders to distill pertinent directions for their ventures, rather than staunchly following the age-old customs of management. They must possess the reflexivity to switch gears when in troubled waters. This quality is indispensable in a business landscape marked by uncertainty. If sticking to the set strategies does more harm than good, one must be able to instantaneously change courses. Asking the right questions, incorporating the expertise of others, building trust in the organization, and many other seminal tenets form the basis of this leadership style deemed fit for the digital age.
Discernment-Oriented Leadership
The shift in leadership norms has been quite pronounced when the arena of decision-making is assessed. The old guard emphasized on the importance of decisiveness, while in the current digital age, decisiveness is no doubt important, but has assumed a secondary position to the newfound significance of discernment. As the decisions of the digital age are marked with unparalleled complexity, leaders must not solely be decisive, but must also be discerning. This discernment comes in handy when one tries to sift through the myriad issues of data handling and the other concerns relating to the digital platforms of operation. Discernment is necessary to ensure that decisions made by the leader remain consistent with the overarching vision and mission of the venture.
Accessible Leaders
Accessibility is a key element of the digital leadership playbook. The hierarchical organization structure of bureaucracies that veiled the leader from lower level executives and team members can no longer be sustained in the age of transparent information sharing and team building. The ‘absent’ leadership styles have to be replaced by more hands-on, involved, and integrated models. Leaders of the digital world have to be present for their employees and team members. They must be approachable and accessible to all. Without securing this amicable bridge, no leader can hope to successfully helm a digitally astute venture.
Perpetually Augmenting Expertise
One of the most crucial norms of digital leadership is that leaders must embrace their roles as perpetual learners. The preexisting framework dictated that a leader must be in possession of all knowledge and expertise needed to successfully head the venture. However, in the digital age, leaders have to accept that their knowledge is incomplete and thus, must embark on a permanent journey of learning new skills and new information. Experiences and observations are paramount in this endeavor of learning. Moreover, leaders must remain open to new ideas. This openness stems from their ability to imbibe new knowledge and skillsets.
Digital transformation has re-oriented the very foundational basis of business models. It has unhinged the long revered customs and beliefs of industries in favor of the more cosmopolitan and reflexive system of operations. This change has invariably affected the identification of those leadership styles that are deemed best for this period. The core tenets mentioned above can be implemented to help improve one’s signature style to better fit the complexities of the digital world.
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