We often come across businesses that are literally scared.
They see Digital Transformation as IT replacement, let's stick what we have in the cloud and retain the same processes. Or they are wed to the past. I watched a cold calling conference last week. Ironically they posted on social media, but they talked about the past, fixed mindset, and how the past is somehow the same as the present and the future.
Things have changed, the internet, social media, and mobile have had massive impact on society and business commerce. Social Media has toppled Dictators, it has changed the way we communicate and it has changed business and commerce. It has also changed the psychology of the way we sell and market. People talk about transformation, but where is it?
Where is the leadership that understands the world has changed and that companies have to move with it? Where is the massive shift in employee awareness? Where is the shift in leaders awareness?
CMO after CMO come to us and say "marketing does not work for us anymore", but why do so many CMOs cling to the home that what they do currently is the most efficient way of working? Or sales people that prefer to work in an inefficient manner, reducing the number of leads they might get or the revenue they can attain. Last week I watched people actually applauding the need to work in inefficient and ineffective ways.
Leaders need to start inspecting and asking questions about digital and digital transformation. Not about systems, about do the people have the right skills for the company to remain relevant? Does the company still meet the needs of the modern buyer?
A great example, is when we met with a management team and they said they didn't need to understand digital, they had recruited interns to do this. This is scary, you could even call it incompetent.
My final comment is about measurement or put a better way benchmarking. How do you measure digital? How do you benchmark your people? How do you benchmark your people against the competition? Digital has until now been seen as unmeasurable ... but now I can measure your company. I can measure your people. I can compare you with the competition. The data is all out there and commonly available. You might not like it, but that happens with change. The genie is out of the bottle, it's time to grasp the opportunities digital provides for your company and its people and drive forward.
Is it time for you to seize control of your digital transformation, invest in the future of your business (your people), inspect with your business leaders as to where they are and measure and benchmark your progress.
A new survey of 2,000 senior executives, by Deloitte, concludes that many are struggling to develop effective strategies in today's rapidly changing markets. Faced with an ever-increasing array of new technologies, leaders acknowledged they have too many options from which to choose and, in many cases, lack the strategic vision to help guide their efforts.
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