FELLOWS FORUM
5 HARSH TRUTHS ABOUT BEING A LEADER IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS
FELLOWS HAVE GIVEN EXCEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSION. HEAR FROM A SELECT FEW HERE EACH QUARTER.
2020, it’s out of the way and we can now talk about what really makes the difference in getting things done during digital transformation. Three things to be on the same page first: • Digital transformation is using technology smartly to help you do stuff better, and be able to adapt that stuff faster as your needs change (without a whopping legacy headache). • The technology is not enough, no matter how well designed and implemented. People are 40
vital. No use, no value, so stop writing business cases that presume adoption. • It will take longer than you think. Think of your effort to adopt behaviours for effective use, and how long it will really take. Now double it. You’re almost certainly wrong unless you are standing on a burning platform – and even then… There is however one thing that is mostly ignored in digital transformation programs and risks being managed. Leadership (note I mean competency, not THE leadership (positional)). Leadership competency is a critical predictor of success in any transformation (if not THE primary predictor). Debate my issue by all means! I want to focus on what it really takes to do it well. Buckle up, this won’t be unkind, but it is going to be tough (for some).
1. WORDS MATTER BUT NOT AS MUCH AS BEHAVIOURS Ralph Waldo Emerson was spot on when he wrote “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say”. Get your behaviours consistent, and aligned with what you are saying, or trust will go quickly.
2. STOP BEING THE HERO OF THE STORY, IT ISN’T ABOUT YOU You need a way to get people to tell you the truth and feel that it won’t backfire on them. The only way you are going to do that is to not be a
