every leader today must be a change agent part three

part three

As you embark upon your change management journey, here are ten things that will challenge your capabilities as a change agent and potentially become defining moments along your leadership success path (Read Part 1 | Part 2 Now)

6.  Technology
You may not be technologically savvy, but you must get to know the role that technology plays in the evolution of your business – beyond IT, social media, websites, apps, etc.    Don’t simply depend on your CTO TO lead the way.  As a leader in your business, change your mindset and educate yourself and those around you.   If you plan on being in a leadership role for the rest of your career, the 21st century demands   that you be knowledgeable enough about technology to test it, engage with it and use it to harness the profitable evolution of your business.

When was the last time you asked about the role that technology plays in your business?  If it’s been a while, start to inquire and you will be amazed at how dependent your business is or soon will be on technology.

 Desperately clinging to the status quo is a recipe for failure.  Technology is here, and it can change, improve or evolve with the blink of an eye.  Embrace it or accept the consequences.  Your business will not be as competitive without it.

7.  Crisis Management
More and more businesses are dealing with crisis management issues because their leaders didn’t have the circular vision to anticipate the unexpected.  Don’t let your corporate challenges become headline news.

Leaders must be more prepared to handle any crisis with nimble agility and elegant transparency.  The advent of social media – and a national media hungry to sensationalize any misstep – requires more leaders to have the necessary preparation, resources, and technologies to respond to a potential crisis in a timely and responsible fashion whenever needed.

Leaders must learn how to speak to anyone and use those same skills when talking to their employees about any crisis situation. Do you know what to say (or not to say), how to deliver a message and how to go about taking action when crisis strikes in your business?  Most leaders don’t and thus lose valuable time, putting their companies at risk.   Remember, not every company has advanced protocols and a large corporate communications team to rely on – thus putting the onus on their leaders.

People and companies have to be authentic.  Anything that smells of being disingenuous devalues credibility.  It’s really quite simple: be forthcoming.  In a connected world, if you are not telling the truth, someone else will spin their version of it for you.

> To Be Continued!

My name's phil mora and I blog about the things I love: fitness, hacking work, tech and anything holistic. Here's my contact info. ​
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