Digital seems to be the "buzz term" on everybody's lips.  There is agreement that we need to do something about digital but we are not sure what.

The CIO's reaction to this is obvious.  Here is a great opportunity to get some shinny new objects for the IT department to play with.  The business case is straight forward, move to the cloud and you save money.

IT, like a road, allows us to get from A to B.  We can rip up the road and lay a new one, but we still get from A to B.  This isn't digital transformation it's systems change.

Then Marketing Agencies and PR agencies are keen to sell you their services by telling you that CEOs have to be on social.  They will then run a service where the intern runs your social profiles.  The point of having a social profile is being ..... well social.  I always contact CEOs who are on social to test the response.  You don't ever get one.  That isn't part of the brief.  The brief is to post the content that the marketing agency has created for you.  This is being social, it's posting.

Let's start again.

First and foremost every CEO needs a digital strategy.  They have to understand it.  They may not like it, but it's the age we live in.

We cannot go back to a day before social media and mobile phones.  The Genie is out of the bottle.

The CEO therefore needs a plan, a strategy, not a set of tactics driven by existing suppliers.

The Board (C-Suite) have to buy into this as well.  They have to understand it.

This is not about teaching the CEO and the Board how to use Twitter, this is about the Board and the C-Suite having a clear strategy, a direction.

One example of this is how the business will grow / gain revenue by using digital.  How will it sell more?  How will it gain competitive advantage by using digital?  How will it get the talent it needs by using digital?  How will it enhance the customer experience using digital?  How will it enhance the employee experience using digital?

I'm actually running such a session for a CEO and Board of Directors here in Munich where I'm sitting in my hotel, before walking to the clients office.

They will have an interactive day, where they will come up with the answers and together we will give them a written strategy that will give them the kick start into digital that they need.

It's only a day.

Maybe it's time for your business to do the same?