Digital Transformation Success:
“I don’t need to learn that, that’s what I hire people for”. Not many executives are willing to say this outright, but for many business leaders, there is a lot of resistance (if not outright resistance) to learning new digital skills. Sometimes this is simply because they find it intimidating. Tech developments are moving faster than ever, so keeping up with these changes can seem overwhelming at first glance. Additionally, some might feel that this type of digital understanding is something only IT and other tech-centric leaders need.
Yet technology has the ability to overrun management. It has become so integral to modern business that understanding how these systems and platforms work is more and more of a necessity in order to make smart business decisions. Additionally, digital transformation efforts aren’t slowing down any time soon: 71% of manufacturers claim that digital transformation has become more important over the last three months, and despite tightening budgets and industry-wide uncertainty, roughly 70% of businesses plan to sustain or increase their investments into digital transformation this year. Managers cannot afford to be oblivious regarding these new technologies and how they fit into their business, otherwise they run the risk of missing out on important growth opportunities.
Even if you’ve been reluctant to learn in the past, it is still possible to learn how these new technologies and business models can drive company success. The key is simply being willing to train and learn. Whether it’s understanding AI and its role in strategic planning or looking at social media channels and how they help create a dialogue with your customer base, there is always room to learn more about the skills and resources that are defining 21st-century business. Of course, even with greater knowledge of new and emerging technologies, achieving digital transformation success also requires inspirational leadership skills as well.
All of this is why I launched OneBigWave back in 2015: to help companies leverage past, present, and future tech and communication trends in order to reach their target audiences, putting the individual at the center of their digital transformation efforts. OneBigWave aims to help C-Suite executives in three distinct ways:
- Translating the language of digital transformation and help orient the way they think about new technologies. This involves recognizing things of the past (mailing), understanding what’s important now (Social Media, Digital Communication) and educating them about what lies ahead (AI, AR/VR, Robotics). It’s essential for Executives to understand everything from the power of data, machine learning, and social to audience development and the impact of influencers.
- Training leaders to help them keep up and get ahead amid the ever-changing technological developments that are shaping industries. Leaders must be well versed in everything from structural assessment and new distribution channels to answering questions on how data, machine learning, and AI could propel their businesses.
- Transforming their organizations so that siloed departments understand (mindset) and interact (physically) with each other in the most effective and efficient ways. Strategies are created to ensure a seamless and powerful consumer experience. All this to generate future proof efficiencies and grow sales.
These efforts are just as important now as ever, and while COVID-19 continues to present new challenges for businesses, my hope is that we can help as many organizations as possible build and grow as the technology around them evolves.
