How to develop your Digital business leadership persona? by Nathaniel Lee
Is your current leadership style helping you or your business move forward in the digital age or is it denying potential business success?
If you are finding your leadership style hindering your progress, there is a way to overcome your leadership challenges. One way to overcome leadership challenges is by adopting a digital leadership persona.
Firstly, let’s get some basic understanding of how changes in the market place are having an impact on the way the business is operating.
Not long ago, business was conducted in a linear fashion. Assets were controlled and government restrictions in the industry were imposed or barrier to entry into the industry was achieved by controlling the supply chain.
In today’s market place, technology and business models are changing the way customers and consumers exchange goods and services. You can order almost anything via the internet and have it delivered to your door. If this is the new order, old leadership styles will have a negative impact on current employees.
New business models and new customers are using smart and connected devices and platforms to conduct their exchange of goods and services. There are less human connections and more direct system to system exchanges.
Those changes are having an impact on the way we communicate with each other and the way we lead employees. Subsequently, changes of any form are difficult and require adopting a leadership persona when the need arises.
There are 6 digital Leadership personas to adopt when the situation arises. They are as follows: Adventurer, Ambassador, Clarifier, Educator, Attractor and Cartographer.
| Persona | Explanation | Relevant to your business |
| Adventurer | A person that looks for exhilaration, adventure and thrill seeking seeks out new and bold ventures. Entrepreneurs push boundaries in the face of ambiguity and risk. | Digital business and innovation are disruptive and cause uncertainty in work places. Leaders must take the lead on the quest by showing excitement and passion despite risk and uncertainty. |
| Ambassador | Diplomats loyal to the cause or quest, representatives or advocates, Ambassadors find common ground in diverse situations. | Digital disruption causes resistance. Change to leadership require skilful balance of power and persuasion to secure the business vision and mission |
| Clarifier | Most see the vision of the future from complications and uncertainty. Clarifiers can simplify and focus on what is important to the business | Digital disruption creates boundless opportunities and threats. Clarifiers define the hype from the reality and create a way forward for business. |
| Educator | The ability to impart knowledge and enable others to learn, create awareness and competence in their field of interest. | Digital disruption creates blind spots for businesses. There may be gaps between core competencies and critical success factors for the business. |
| Attractor | Attractors bring people and capital together. Social networks and platforms create collaboration. | Digital disruption changes the nature of HR. Attractors must attract relevant talent and ideas to collaborate in the digital business. |
| Cartographer | A person who can communicate spatial information. They seek to understanding context and complexity in order to navigate marketing trends. | Digital disruption changes business core competence. A cartographer must be able to recreate new ways to capitalise on new digital market opportunities. |
This is the age of achievement through the digital business world.
- Adopt and implement your leadership persona when the situation arises.
- Adjust and reassess when it is necessary to make progress.
- Always remember, what works today does not guarantee it will work in tomorrow’s business world.
By Nathaniel Lee, CEO at BLD Consulting
Published on 31st July 2017
w. http://www.bldconsulting.com.au
e. info@bldconsulting.com.au
