Humans drive digital transformation so we must scrutinise the people leading the change effort. The C-Suite and senior leadership team members as a whole are ultimately the keys to the success of any significant change effort. Having worked with several entities through different technology change initiatives in my career, I’ve experienced various types of leaders. Some were exceptional in their ability to understand the nuances of the people, process, and technology components of transformation, while others were out of their depth. I’ve outlined the three leadership profiles I believe may be better suited outside the digital transformation strategy room. Let’s see if you agree.

The Self-Admitting Naysayers

If you have a history in technology, you would have heard leaders say, “Tech is not really my thing” or “I’ll leave that stuff to you tech people”. These are a telltale signals of someone in leadership not prepared for the demands of the digital era. Everyone is using technology today. It is officially a part of our lifestyle. So, technically, every person is a tech person, and every company is a tech company. You are either enabled by or providing tech.

If you are sitting in the C-Suite or have a role as an executive or senior leader, and your current perspective and language reflect the thinking that “tech is not my thing”, it’s time for a shift.

While I am not saying that you should be an expert or highly versed in tech-related concepts, it is your responsibility as a leader in today’s world to be reading, watching, or listening to insights concerning doing business successfully. Today, successful companies leverage technology and engender an innovative culture. So do the work, become familiar with the concepts, and most importantly, shift your language.

The Forever Leader

Just because you’ve been there long doesn’t mean you should be a significant change-initiative leader. Large or small companies that have been around for over 20 years should look at their leadership team and ascertain who can take the organisation through this change. The CEO is ultimately responsible for ensuring that leaders on their transformation teams are fit for purpose. If this is not the case, there should be open, candid discussions that offer opportunities for development, including certifications and coaching or some other type of plan that supports this leader in building their digital and transformational leadership capabilities.

If the CEO is the forever leader, then the board and human resources are responsible for taking similar measures. Sometimes it may mean shifting this leader into a better-suited role or out of the organisation altogether.

The Critic with a Reserved Seat

One of my favourite quotes I often reference in some of the speeches I give is from Theodore Roosevelt about the arena. The part of the quote I’ll use here is, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.”

Digital transformation is a very active and messy arena. It requires courageous, agile and innovative leadership, among other vital skills. Most importantly, it needs to be in the arena, not sitting on the sidelines identifying all the things that are not going well or done differently. This type of leadership is demotivating for the people doing the work. It promotes a culture of blame, shame, and low accountability, none of which will create a successful transformation effort.

All leaders are accountable for themselves and the success of the transformation effort. With that understanding, we hold each other responsible and invite/encourage our colleagues to be “in the arena”.

Contributed by Stacey Hines, immediate past president, JTDA, founder and CEO of Epic Transformation, business leadership and transformation expert and group strategic planner — ICD Group Holdings.