In this digital world, human attributes such as creativity, communication, curiosity, and the ability to be comfortable with constant ambiguity often make for the most successful leaders. What are the non-negotiable skills and attitudes leaders need in the new digital era? And in a world eager for connection, where does the intersection between people and technology lie?
A new digital horizon
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, dialling up human skills such as empathy, collaboration, and conflict resolution has become increasingly important for effective leadership.
Organisational leaders have a responsibility to make sure employees and team members don’t feel isolated, especially in hybrid working environments. This often means developing new skills and exercising different leadership muscles.
We need to explore how crucial skills such as working with people, self-leadership and self-knowledge, innovative technology use, and problem-solving can help you to prepare for current and future leadership challenges.
Preparing for the workplace of the future
The future workforce will operate in a digitally connected and technologically advanced environment. As many of us already know, digital transformation is a reality, as are hybrid and remote work environments.
Technology means teams are able to collaborate remotely, while new digital tools allow staff to experiment and devise creative solutions for complex problems. For many, internet connectivity and effective tech is considered a base for employment.
But hybrid teams, whether in different countries, different provinces, or just in different homes, mean many people are increasingly working in isolated environments.
No matter your personality type, leaders have to be comfortable working with a diverse set of people, as well as with being inclusive, collaborative, and communicative.
Self-leadership and self-awareness are crucial to work with people. The best leaders that work in teams are ones that are introspective and understand themselves well enough to be able to then understand others.
According to Harvard Business Review, “Working in a digital world and with an increasingly remote workforce means learning to collaborate with an increasingly diverse workforce across functions, levels, geographies, and even organisational boundaries.”
As a result, “Leading in the digital era means those steering organisations must open their minds to a more experimental approach and be able to guide their organisations through iterative change, adopt holistic thinking, and stay open to the unexpected.” In other words, they need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
This new form of working often requires a leadership style that focusses on co-creation instead of top-down direction or delegation: “Leading in the digital era is an exercise in trust: inviting employees to share in decision-making and creating a culture that makes people feel safe enough to take risks and act on behalf of organisational interests.”
While it may be difficult, leaders must learn to exercise influence without relying on formal authority. Their role is to communicate clearly the purpose of the organisation, and empower others, through technology, to then execute.
Creating trust
Hybrid work has forced a blurring of boundaries, with our personal lives often blending into our work lives. In today’s working environment, we have to find new ways to establish trust. Every single work environment is now different – many are hybrid, and some are even fully flexible, with team members scattered all over the world. As a result, there is no single formula that works for digital leaders.
Leaders must think back to the fundamentals of connecting with people and translate that into the tools they have available in front of them.
For those leading a remote team, monitoring time spent in front of a laptop is simply not an effective way to create trust or to measure performance, just as spending eight hours in an office doesn’t necessarily equate to a full day of effective, output-driven work. This false logic provides leaders with a false sense of security.
Genuine performance management and the creation of a high performance organisational culture is a complex endevour, underpinned by trust. This requires a return to fundamentals – getting close to your team by having conversations with them and thinking about informal ways to collaborate in order to manage output-driven work and engagement.
Creating a connection
In a post-Covid world where many of us work in some sort of hybrid arrangement, creating a real connection with people has become increasingly important. That connection doesn’t just mean we have to be in the same physical space.
Online tools allow us to connect, even if it’s for a few minutes. Small gestures, such as leaving your camera on when meeting a new colleague or contact via a video call for the first time, or not blurring your background to provide context of your working environment, can provide a first connection point that is absolutely crucial.
The human connection is fundamentally important, and the reality is that we’ve lost sight of what that means in a digital world.
For many, connection means an office. But an office doesn’t have to be a physical destination – it can be a meeting place for increased engagement, a tool for creating connection.
New leaders need to discover ways in which the advantages of the old, physical office can be replicated, especially for young people entering the workforce. The office was a place where mentors were found, colleagues could learn in an informal manner, and where many relationships were forged. Leaders must replicate these informal practices using digital business tools.
Many of the benefits of connectivity in the office have been forgotten. How can the hybrid workplace provide what individual employees need? And how can some of the beneficial elements of the brick-and-mortar office be replicated to the advantage of workers and organisations?
Working with technology
Unlocking the potential of technology already at your disposal means becoming comfortable with experimentation and thinking innovatively to solve problems through iterative learning.
Cultivating a sense of curiosity is one of the most important things digital leaders can do. Until you understand what technology is capable of, you are not able to see what it can achieve for your business, for you as an individual, and for your team.
Collaborating through technology means teams no longer have to be in the same room to create a genuine connection and work efficiently.
Functionality on Microsoft Teams allows groups to conduct polls, create breakout rooms, to have informal ‘water cooler’ conversations, or unlock the ability of cloud computing to allow team members to work collaboratively and synchronously on an online document.
Virtual gatherings and workshops are useful to share knowledge and conversation, and not just to solve problems.
Virtual and augmented reality have a role to play in the modern hybrid workplace. VR headsets allow colleagues to mingle in a virtual reality meeting room, while lenses and headphones can fully immerse colleagues. Many young people entering the workforce are experienced and comfortable with virtual reality, having spent hours navigating a virtual world.
An avatar can be a useful tool to interact with during online meetings, even if your camera is off, demonstrating emotions and showing reactions. In order to embed human emotions and qualities into technology, some headsets have begun to insert cameras on the inside to monitor facial expressions and reflect them through your avatar: if you are confused, or winking, or smiling, your avatar imitates the same reaction, once again helping to build trust.
Adaptive leadership
While technology can do many things for you, it is important to remember that it cannot do the work of a leader.
Our new digital reality demands adaptive leaders – those who are able to execute on an operational level, as well as developing people and providing purpose by translating a company’s culture and strategy into what is what is meaningful and personal for individuals in the organisation.
Adaptive leaders need technical acumen with a deep understanding of organisational dynamics, change management, and the human element of digital transformation. These leaders are able to integrate technical expertise with insights into organisational behaviour and employee engagement.
As challenges and problems become more complex, we will no longer be solving problems on our own, but through partnership with diverse groups who are able to provide a different lens on the world. A digital leader must be comfortable with working with these diverse and inclusive teams, and be willing to develop a deep understanding of their methods.
Adaptive, people-centred leaders will be more valuable than operational leaders in the digital future – those who are equipped to integrate hybrid teams into the culture of an organisation, understand vision and direction, and constantly translate that into what is meaningful for individuals.
Skills of the future
What are the key skills needed in the digital world of work?
According to Harvard Business Review, “Leaders need to learn to experiment, iterate, and pivot themselves if their organisations are going to be able to thrive.” In a fast-moving world with more risks than ever, leaders “need the courage to make big bets”.
The ability to be comfortable with experimentation, failure, learning, and to lead increasingly diverse teams, requires leaders to embark on a process of self-reflection.
Additional key skills for the digital world include:
- Conflict resolution
- Empathy
- Creativity
- Inclusiveness
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Curiosity – Digital leaders must be true lifelong learners and have an insatiable appetite for knowledge
AI – fear and loathing?
Business leaders know they need to integrate artificial intelligence into their operations to make them effective and remain competitive. But the question is how?
Many live in fear of generative AI and the threat that it will replace the human workforce. But generative AI tools such as Chat GPT and Microsoft’s Copilot are not going to take your job. Rather, a person who is comfortable with experimenting, using, and integrating generative AI to augment their daily tasks at work, will.
The existing scepticism – that much of generative AI is just hype – is there because not enough individuals have experimented with the technology and unlocked their own ability to use it effectively.
Generative AI won’t replace the need for very human talents like creativity, problem-solving, and relationship-building, but successful adoption of the technology will require a shift in culture and mindset.
It requires an attitude that embraces curiosity, humility, and adaptability. One that is comfortable with change, experimentation, and failure – and individuals who are open to learning new things.
Nishan Pillay is a seasoned business leader and academic with more than 15 years of experience. He holds an Executive Master’s Degree in Digital Transformation from IE University (Madrid) and has served as an executive director at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), where he spearheaded innovative digital and educational strategies. Nishan is a dynamic strategist and educator, and currently teaches for several business schools, both in person and online, all over the world, in a variety of topics but with a focus on digital transformation and future-skilling.
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