Mindful Leadership For Dummies

Chapter 15

Leading in a Digital Age

IN THIS CHAPTER

Discovering what digital leadership is

Navigating the impact and demands of leading in a digital age

Harnessing the opportunities of a digital world

Society today is experiencing significant changes with the transition from an industrial-based society to a digital society. As we move closer to becoming a digital society, new social structures are generating new leadership styles and different patterns of hierarchy, skills, and attitudes.

The new digital age is characterised by four elements that are reshaping leadership:

• Rapid, far-reaching technological changes
• Accelerated globalisation
• A shift from brawn to brains
• More distributed, less hierarchical organisational forms

In this highly dynamic environment, leadership innovation and adaptability are critical, especially the leader’s capacity to channel the right knowledge to the right people at the right time in the right place.

Of course, some elements of leadership remain the same. Commitment, focus, discipline, communication skills, and the ability to engage others with your vision are still vital. Emotional intelligence, authenticity and mindfulness – the ability to be fully present – are becoming the new leadership essentials.

In this chapter, you explore the challenges of leading in a digital age, including information overload and executive attention deficit disorder. You discover how to work more effectively in the digital world we live in by taking control of your digital ...