Turning crisis into opportunity: Leaders, transform thyselves

It is widely accepted that the best leaders lead by example. At a time when employees are encouraged to embrace change in the face of the disruption brought forth by COVID-19, the obligation is also on leaders to take the opportunity to re-invent themselves.

Laurence Smith, Chartered Fellow CIPD, and a thought leader in digital mindset and transformation, said, “The reality is that the Future of Work is here to stay, now. Digitisation is happening faster than ever.

“Expectations of leaders in terms of agility and adaptability, as well as empathy and engagement, have never been higher. When we all return to work, there will be a ‘new normal’, whatever that means.”

In his new book, Transformation Mindset: 10 Things Leaders should be Doing Today to turn Crisis into Opportunity, Smith urged leaders to increase their level of digital literacy, to think more like a startup, and to lead with empathy and data.

Besides employees asking if their leadership team is effectively driving the organisation’s strategic digital transformation, leaders also need to ask themselves: Where do you rate your CEO on digital literacy and transformation? How do you rate yourself?

Quoting Clayton Christensen, author of Innovators Dilemma, he also highlighted how leaders need to either “disrupt yourself or be disrupted.”

“The reality is that if you don’t learn, change and innovate faster than the competition, a startup will disrupt your industry, and a robot, AI or more agile colleague will disrupt your job,” Smith explained.

Grab your copy of Transformation Mindset: 10 Things Leaders should be Doing Today to turn Crisis into Opportunity, which is now available at a special discounted rate.