Digital transformation is an increasing need for organizations, from day-to-day operations to driving the business forward and growing. CIOs sit in the unique spot to drive this change and become more influential in their organization but to be successful is no small feat; Mckinsey, KPMG, and BCG all report that at least 70% of companies’ transformations fail.
CIO Professional Network guest speaker Isaac Sacolick discussed the secret to successful digital transformation and his new book in the latest CIO Professional Network Learning Series. Following the success of Sacolick’s first book, Driving Digital, he discussed topics and stories from his new book, Digital Trailblazer: Essential Lessons to Jumpstart Transformation and Accelerate Your Technology Leadership.
Businesses need more transformation leaders – what Isaac calls Digital Trailblazers—who can lead teams, evolve sustainable ways of working, develop data capabilities as competitive differentiators, and deliver business outcomes. The presentation covered who Digital Trailblazers are, how to empower them, and what practices they need to drive business outcomes from transformation initiatives.
Digital Transformation is a journey that many organizations take five to ten years to implement. It can start with one or multiple initiatives that lead to sustainable practices around agile, DevOps, customer and employee experience, and innovation. For digital transformation to be realized, you need a team of leaders – Digital Trailblazers – and you need to be aware of your digital leadership and how to find the balancing act of smarter and faster, innovating and delivering. Don’t be too smart or too slow. That will not enable you to be competitive.
Digital Trailblazers can come from anywhere in an organization. Business leaders, DevOps leaders, Infosec leaders, product managers, business leaders, etc. They are unique due to their leadership skills. They are change agents, who value continuing education and cross-learning, and they are always aspiring leaders realizing skills and practices need to be adapted and changed for today. Cultivate your Digital Trailblazers, your lieutenants. You must bring your culture to a transformation level by uniting groups and establishing centers of excellence.
Transformation must now be a core competency – Transformation Strategies are rapidly changing. Strategies you had in 2017 or 2018 before the pandemic likely did not focus on cloud or hybrid nearly as much as strategy and transformations required during 2020, and today strategies and processes are contending with the ongoing supply chain risks, customer experiences, security risks, and the potential of a recession. In another two or three years, there will be things to reevaluate and adapt to fit the market.
Know that your roadmap for the next two to three years will likely change. And that you need to have a set of lieutenants working with you for the long run; those lieutenants are your digital trailblazers. Empower your Digital Trailblazers by collaborating on your Digital Transformation Vision, developing your team of Digital Trailblazers, and establishing your Centers of Excellence.
Isaac Sacolick is a writer, keynote speaker, and author of the Amazon bestseller, Driving Digital: The Leader’s Guide to Business Transformation Through Technology, and his new book Digital Trailblazer: Essential Lessons to Jumpstart Transformation and Accelerate Your Technology Leadership. Isaac is recognized as a top digital influencer and is a frequent contributor to many publications where he writes about digital transformation, agile management, and other technology and leadership topics. You can find him sharing new insights @NYIke on Twitter, on his blog Social, Agile, and Transformation, or on the Driving Digital Standup YouTube channel.
In a world of rapidly changing technology, ideas, and business, it’s never been more important to prioritize continuing education. The CIO Professional Network hosts monthly learning series for its members. Click here to learn more about the CIO Professional Network and its upcoming events.
