Have you ever seen a herd of wildebeest storm through the wilderness? Some say it’s magnificent. Some say it’s scary. I just can’t help but wonder: how come the lions still win?
Imagining even a reasonably small pack of wildebeest one day deciding to turn around and starting to chase the lions. They would beat the living crap out of the stupid cats. Luckily for the lions, wildebeest don’t change. They keep on running away and the lions continue to rule.
Traditionally, businesses have had the chance to be like wildebeest. They enjoyed their stabile environment, sometimes lost part of their business to the competition but the herd kept on growing.
Digitalization has changed this for good. The possibility to introduce a new ever more automatic CRM system or to work remotely is only a very small part of it. The true power of digitalization lies in the shift of competitive environment where Googles rise and Nokias fall over night.
To be on the winning side, leaders need to adopt a modern leadership style and adapt to sudden changes in an agile way. Here are the three main reasons why.
1. The polls are broken
Let’s face it, if we didn't see Trump nor Brexit coming, how can we expect to see anything smaller than category 4 hurricane striking? Traditional market research can’t keep up with the sudden shifts of the public opinion. Every piece of information you collect and analyze today, can be outdated tomorrow crashing your beautifully optimized business model and product portfolio.
The only chance is to be so flexible that you can rapidly adapt to the new situation, turn around and start chasing the lions.
2. The people want to be involved
Everything is getting more complex. You can hardly be the top professional in everything that takes place in your organization. Instead, you can find the right people, the modern superstars and allow them to work efficiently for you.
The superstars are well educated and can access all information with a single google search. They will not blindly accept your version of the truth, but wish to debate and understand it.
They are not thankful for you hiring them, they want you to appreciate them working with you. They are not motivated by money alone, they expect to be part of something greater with a true meaning.
If you continue running and hope the herd will follow, you will soon find yourself running alone.
3. Innovations must meet efficiency
Competition getting more fierce means it is not enough just to do the right things. You have to be able to do the right things right and efficiently. This is possible only if the collaboration in your team works smoothly without you being the bottleneck or killing the creativity with excessive control.
This means leadership won't really become any easier. You still need to do everything you did before – only do it better and in less time.
Scale your leadership
Leadership is not about you leading others. It is about you creating an environment where people can lead each other. Empowering the people around you is a part of scalable leadership. To be able to adapt to rapid changes, engage people and create efficiency you need to scale your leadership. This will ensure the greatest results and help you sleep better.
Is it easy? Hell, no! And why should it be? If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Learn to turn your herd around and overrun your competition.
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