PMI Global Insights

By Mel Ross

So often when asked about the biggest challenges we face working in the world of digital change and digital transformation, the word “leadership” emerges.

             “Why is it that when I speak to the leadership team they don’t understand what’s obvious?”

“Every time I try to champion change initiatives I feel as if I am not being heard!”

“Even though the leaders have agreed to this, when we go to implement shifts, they don’t seem to want to engage in change.”

I’m guessing many of us have a story to tell that relates to one or more of these statements. Digital leadership is more frequently discussed in recent years with the continuing increase in digital transformation programs. The impact of COVID has given rise to efforts that define and develop effective leadership for managing in a hybrid world of work.

The truth is that there are two areas we should be focusing on when it comes to leadership - the leadership around us and our own leadership practice as agents of change and transformation. For ourselves, influence is less an accelerator for digital transformation than the ability to build credibility as a role model that others are willing to follow. Equally, when considering leadership around us, it is not knowledge or capability that will get them engaged and actively participating in digital transformation.

Shifting from influencer to role model, from passive support to active participant, takes a mindset shift - a shift in how we think that drives a change in behavior, a change that leads to different actions taking place. When we act differently, we gather insights that inform further shifts in our beliefs…and the circle begins again.

Mindset is where we should be placing our leadership development focus. When we change mindset, we are able to drive change that is more likely to stick. But it’s a messy world and quite difficult to navigate if you haven’t been there before. That’s why a codified framework is needed that can guide your entry into this world.

In my 2 June presentation, “Seven Mindsets of Modern Leadership to Become a Successful Disruptor,” I will share the basics of a framework that is already being used by government and the private sector internationally to support digital transformation. It allows you to measure digital age leadership mindset and provides a codified approach for how to shift mindset for yourself or those around you.

Are you interested in learning more about what the mental model for digital age leadership looks like and how you can start to use this mental model to build your own effectiveness as a leader of change as well as support this in others? Join me on a whistle-stop tour of a framework that could be the key to unlocking the true potential of your digital transformation - or even accelerate what you have already started.

I’m super excited to share the power of this new framework with the PMI community to support successful digital transformation for good across the world.  Join me on 2 June for the Virtual Experience Series 2021 and take part in the question and answers with me during Session 309: Seven Mindsets of Modern Leadership to Become a Successful Disruptor.