Digital Leadership Traits and Characteristics

 

When I set out in my career I never thought I would be in this role, but I’m grateful I’ve ended up here. Along the way I’ve realized leadership is humanity’s most powerful lever to improve the world. In fact, it’s the most precious resource on Earth.

Before we talk about digital leadership or transformation, let’s consider what we mean by digital.

We often think about digital in terms of social media, websites, apps and digital marketing. It’s no wonder we start here. These are the platforms and tools that engage audiences and funders with what we do and who we are as artists, organisations, and leaders.

Another starting point is thinking about digital in terms of innovation, of cutting-edge technologies that can transform the art we make and how it is shared. It is hardly surprising that cultural leaders are fascinated by the potential of the latest technology to imagine new opportunities for art and heritage experiences. Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), for example, offer a toolbox rich in creative possibilities.

Digital is this, but not only this. Limiting ourselves to thinking about digital in terms of platforms or innovation alone holds back our organisations, our audiences, and our creative practice.

The new reality of digital, described so well by Julie Dodd, is the result of a scale of change “in how people choose to communicate, watch TV, learn, bank, shop and organise their lives” that has been likened to the industrial revolution.

The definition I’ve found most helpful in recognising this new reality for leaders and organisations is that offered by Tom Loosemore, who defines digital as “Applying the culture, practices, processes & technologies of the Internet-era to respond to people’s raised expectations.”

By learning from data and insights about our users and their needs, we can transform cultural leadership and cultural organisations to thrive in the Internet-era, and move away from limiting ourselves to thinking about digital in terms of platforms or innovation alone.

Six Characteristics of Digital Leadership

• Recognising that digital is not always about scale of flashy projects, it’s about transforming people and ways of working
• Developing digital skills across the organisation, not just within a separate department

• Instead of a digital strategy, integrating digital processes and technologies to serve and shape business and artistic strategies
• Providing leaders with a mandate and budget to test and embed digital technology and agile ways of working

I talk openly about my Digital leadership journey, and I’m often asked: how do you actually go on a leadership journey? How do you embrace the opportunities leadership brings to tackle the world’s greatest problems? I’d like to offer three reflections on that, which I also shared at One Young World in London earlier this year.

First, stay deeply inspired. Lately, opportunities to give in to cynicism are all around us. As you go through your leadership journey and inevitably face challenges, stay inspired by your purpose and optimistic about the better future within our reach.

The second invitation I have is to stay deeply curious. It’s one of the hardest things to do, especially as AI-driven newsfeeds try to lock our minds into a limited point of view. If you want to change the world, you have to see it clearly. You have to remain open to learning and seek different perspectives.

Alongside that, there’s a more intimate aspect of curiosity: the journey of self-curiosity. What I’ve learned in leadership is that you need deep self-awareness and to be curious about your own mindset. Everybody seems to be in search of authentic leadership these days. The source of authentic leadership is not somewhere out there, it’s inside of you.

The last element is to have humility. The corporate world is slowly learning the wisdom we had with us during ancient times. When you read the Tao Te Ching from the 7th century B.C., it’s all about servant leadership. Along the way humanity lost sight of that, and workplaces have historically been hierarchies of reporting and micromanagement.

Today we see companies filled with knowledge workers. Knowledge workers shouldn’t be managed like cogs in a wheel—we need to give them the power and freedom to solve complex problems.

Here’s the thing—your source of power as a leader is not where you sit in an org chart. Your source of power is your ability to create possibilities for those around you. If people are following a leader because of their position in a hierarchy, that leader has already lost. People should follow a leader because they believe in their ideas and values. That’s how you start a movement toward a bigger purpose.

I believe it’s on all of us to keep imagining what’s possible with great leadership—it’s how we’ll tackle the challenges of our time. And if you ever find yourself waiting around for things to change, remember the world is in your hands.

Useful resources and further reading:

• Dot Everyone: Leading a conversation about what digital understanding and ethical technology looks like, and pioneering initiatives including Digital Leadership development
• Nesta Digital Culture data
• Alidade 6 steps to choosing digital technology (spoiler: start with the problem you’re trying to solve, rather than the technology!)
• Julie Dodd ‘The New Reality’
• Excerpts: Written by Ceri Gorton, Bird & Gorton