Our current digital landscape demands a constant effort to stay at the forefront of innovation and a clear focus to maximize business objectives. In a recent conversation, John Golden, the host of the podcast Sales POP!, sat down with our founder, Geoff Blaisdell, to discuss the significance of nurturing digital leadership skills and fostering innovation in a world where technology continuously reshapes our lives.
One crucial takeaway from their discussion is the necessity for digital leaders to remain focused on their ultimate goal: maximize business objectives. Instead of being captivated by the allure of the latest gadgets and tools, Geoff emphasizes the importance of using technology as a means to an end, to maximize business objectives.
Both John and Geoff agree that digital transformation transcends adopting technology for its own sake. It demands a comprehensive understanding of existing processes and a well-defined vision of desired outcomes. It is crucial for leaders to guide their team along the transformation journey and establish a robust foundation before plunging into digital initiatives.
McKinsey found that even though 90% of companies are trying to make changes using digital technology, they’re only getting about one-third of the money they expected to make from these changes.
This is why it is crucial for leaders to foster a closer collaboration between business, technology, and operations to drive digital innovation all in an effort to maximize business objectives. By enhancing the skill sets of their workforce, and by establishing a distributed technology and data infrastructure that empowered numerous teams to engage in continuous digital innovation. This underscores the fundamental challenge of digital and AI transformations—they require excellence across multiple dimensions. They require a structure.
Their conversation also touches upon the increasing role of AI in digital transformation. While AI holds the potential to automate and optimize various tasks, its role should complement human interaction rather than supplant it. The central focus should always revolve around delivering a human-centric experience, ensuring that technology augments rather than detracts from customer engagement. Perhaps Emil Sayegh said it best in his recent Forbes article titled “AI Doesn’t Want Your Job”. Emil states “By striking a balance between innovation and human well-being, we can steer the course of AI towards a future that maximizes benefits and minimizes risks.”
Although the potential for AI to displace jobs is a reality, its greater potential lies in enhancing human capabilities. By combining AI with human expertise, superior outcomes can be achieved, particularly in fields like investment management, where it reduces bias and improves decision-making.
The world of digital leadership and innovation is in constant flux. To thrive in this dynamic landscape, leaders must maintain their focus on delivering business value, prioritize human-centric design, and navigate the ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies.