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Leaders Must Let Go of Traditional Programming  

The digital age is going to require fundamental changes from us in terms of collaboration and the way we learn. It is becoming increasingly clear that this will also require changes in styles of leadership to manage the big moves that organizations need to make.

In the book Digital to the Core by Raskino and Waller, in addition to repositioning industries and organizations in the digital age, they also talk about reinventing themselves as the leaders who will propel these organizations into the digital age. Lynda Gratton, in her book The Shift, outlines three mental changes that we will have to go through to be successful in the new world. What concerns us is: what impact does all this have on the type of leaders who will be successful in that future world?

Personas  

Raskino and Waller speak of about six personas that are fundamentally important for leaders in the digital age. They mention: the adventurer, the teacher, the social magnet, the cartographer, the focuser, the ambassador. All roles that are important for leading organizations in and into the digital world.

The first shift Gratton points out is from “general generalist” to “serial master. General knowledge and knowledge of a service or product have a limited shelf life. The lifecycle of subject areas is getting shorter and shorter, and you cannot practice a particular subject all your life. So, it is important to constantly switch fields or build on them in a new direction. This requires agility in the broad sense of the word.

The second shift is the movement from isolated environments to collaborative networks of people and organizations. Here, partnership in its pure form is central and involves long-term shared interests.

The third shift Gratton mentions is from consumer to passionate producer. Here she signals that we are reaching the limits of our consumption and that we are starting to weigh meaning more heavily in the nature and interpretation of our work.

Huge Impact  

The impact is huge. Universities and Colleges have to start training people for professions that do not yet exist. Students are choosing courses that may no longer be relevant by the end of their studies. Organizations structured along the axis of traditional fields, such as marketing, operations, finance and IT, must reinvent themselves. Start-ups have the advantage of being able to choose from unexpected cross-links that are much more effective and also more quickly adaptable to ever-changing circumstances.

“The new leader will have to guard the human and social scale”

Leadership in this world is expected to be able to let go of their traditional programming and be able to continually reinvent themselves and their organizations. These leaders of the future should be able to mobilize, motivate and help people to become serial masters, rather than ending up at a dead end. Command & control will be replaced by shared risks & rewards - principles. They will no longer have to run their organization by power and politics, but by making connections while respecting stakeholders. Finally, the new leader will also have to guard the human and social measure. Society will eventually judge them on that.

Whitepaper  

We are fascinated by this theme and want to spend the next few months looking for concrete answers to the questions: what does this mean for the current generation of leaders? How do you prepare for the future? When are you fit for what the “new” leadership requires of you?

Through a white paper, we want to share our findings with the world. So, you can expect those from us. But much more, we ask you to join us with input, questions and comments, and sharing insights to find the answers and the picture to be formed of leadership in the digital world. As such, we cordially invite you to make your contribution to this discussion. So please feel free to contact us!

By John Simons & Tjibbe Van Der Zeeuw