Technology Mastery Is A Must To Succeed Today

Many of you will lose your leadership position in five years or less unless you embrace three major technology areas needed to survive. ~ paraphrase author, business owner and technology guru Scott Klososky.

Leaders today are going to be forced to make a choice: either they will improve their technology vision and culture or they will not survive says Klososky

Don’t believe him? Consider the following fact: The average tenure of a US CEO is 4.2 years, less than half the average tenure of 10.5 years in 1990. (Harvard Business Professor, Michael Beer)

Technology Ignorance is Not Bliss

As a leader, whether an association or corporate executive, you can no longer afford to ignore the impact that technology has on your current and future operations as well as your organization’s culture. Technology advancements are not going away. Ignoring the speed of change in technology is a sure fire way to allow the competition to get an upper hand.

I like how Klososky says it, “You want the pithy version (of the truth)? Keep pace or go home!”

Here’s my pithy version, “Stay current or you will take your organization down!”

Yes, we all know that the pace of life continues to speed up. We all feel it and can sense it. Technology innovations are faster. Product development cycles are shorter. Customer expectations are higher that organizations will adopt common technology practices are higher.

Our ever-changing world demands a new set of leadership skills. These skills are very different from those that were effective 20 years ago. Sure, some leadership skills are evergreen and important. Unfortunately, they are not enough to survive today. Every leader must adopt and adapt to technology mastery.

Technology Mastery Demands Expertise In Three Areas

Some leaders understand the rate and speed of change today. Some think that if they stick to their core business drivers, they will be ok. Some are immobilized by inertia rather than adapting to the new environment. Studying the world and competitors for months and even years before making a decision will not work. We have to learn how to make decisions in a fast-paced world.

Here are three key areas that Klososky says all leaders must develop expertise:

1. Digital Plumbing

Having mastery of digital plumbing means that you can build an efficient and productive technology infrastructure that gives you an advantage over your competitors. Not every leader must become a technology expert. They only need to be able to understand the underlying structural concepts of how to connect valuable digital plumbing.

2. High Beam Strategy

Mastery of the high beam strategy means setting an accurate vision and direction for the future of your organization. The leader has the ability to accurately predict how future society dynamics will impact an organization. Without this clear vision that includes adoption and adaption to modern technology advancements, a leader cannot effectively lead others.

3. High-Velocity Culture

Mastery of high-velocity culture means that the leader can create a highly productive workforce that is able to facilitate four different generations of workers with very different habits and strengths. They are also able integrate different types of skills including society’s technology adoptions and a variety of life styles.

Source: The Velocity Manifesto by Scott Klososky

Why do so many leaders ignore or refuse to understand technology concepts that can help their organization succeed? What happens to an organization when its leaders ignore technology mastery?