Today, technology continues to be at the forefront of these changes, with emerging digital technologies forcing organizations to reshape how they will conduct business, compete with competitors, and interact with customers.
Over the past few years, businesses have had to deal with rapid organizational disruption and perpetual change beyond what many had imagined. Organizations that thrived did so by quickly adopting new technologies, training and upskilling their tech teams. Today, technology continues to be at the forefront of these changes, with emerging digital technologies forcing organizations to reshape how they will conduct business, compete with competitors, and interact with customers.
With this outlook, IT leaders need to evolve their current competencies, widen their scope, and develop specific skills to keep up with the ever-increasing responsibilities in this fourth industrial revolution. The top areas to focus on are:
Capacity to be agile, adaptable, and flexible
Great leaders today are aware of digital threats and opportunities, of course, but they must go beyond simple awareness and demonstrate the ability to be flexible, agile, and able to respond effectively to these changing environments. They can rapidly shift direction, when necessary, both to the expected and to the unexpected, all while working with and guiding the teams and individuals they lead. They have the capacity to improvise when necessary, and they’re open to change and new challenges.
Ability to connect and collaborate with people
Managing and leading a diverse team in a hybrid environment is one of the biggest challenges IT leaders can face. You’re not only dealing with processes, technologies, and constant monitoring of the organization’s safety but also people. As a result, IT leaders must now thrive in a hybrid atmosphere that’s fluid and more democratized. Connecting and collaborating intensively across the organization is necessary for success. As so many teams today are cross-functional, connecting establishes valuable relationships for themselves and others across the organization. Today we can connect and interlink through virtual platforms and tools in increasingly authentic and intuitive ways that were previously unimaginable.
As for collaboration, it often comes down to this simple statement: collaborative leaders will place team needs and priorities above personal needs and priorities, and they actively foster synergy within the team and across teams. Successful leaders actively involve others in making decisions that affect them, and, likewise, they give credit to others where credit is due.
Coaching teams
Coaching accelerates employees’ professional development by providing a personal mentor who can assess strengths and facilitate new skills in a thoughtful way that encourages growth. As a result, IT leaders need to master the art of coaching to enhance their teams’ performance and productivity levels. Additionally, coaching will also enable leaders to equip their teams with the power skills needed to stay future-ready.
Addressing tech and skills gap
Once an organization has identified key areas necessary for success, the next logical step would be to identify and fill the skills gaps. According to Skillsoft’s 2021 IT Skills & Salary Report, 76 per cent of IT decision-makers experience critical skills gaps on their teams—a 145 per cent increase from the previous year. As a result, leaders should ensure employees carve out time in their workday to learn new skills and keep up with the pace of their organization.
Storytelling
Storytelling is not just limited to the marketing function. It’s a form of effective communication that IT leaders should employ to help craft a transformative vision. This helps their teams understand not just what to do but why they are doing it and why it matters. Great leaders mobilize their teams to execute the vision and sustain momentum through constant reinforcement of that vision. This approach demands a consistent, authentic, and transparent communication strategy. So, while some leaders may be poor communicators, compelling storytelling can help drive key messages in times of significant change.
In addition to the above, leaders will need to be well-updated with various new factors such as leading project integrations, context switching, and introducing automated solutions for recurring issues. The fourth industrial revolution is changing the nature of jobs at an unprecedented speed. With innovations consistently entering the fray, technologies and functions that are relevant today may become obsolete overnight. Since the external environment is expected to change at a rapid pace, the leaders must be quick to adapt to the ever-changing environment and contribute actively to the digital transformation of the organization, partners, and clients.
https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/tech-tonic-shifts-how-the-tech-leaders-role-is-evolving-with-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/2579630/
