In a world where everything is now 4.0, it’s impracticable for a professional to keep using old management methods and working with aged processes, without technology support to drive business processes.

It’s true that digital transformation must occur from top to bottom (top-down) in an organization. Therefore, leaders must understand the need for this digitization to stay competitive in the market. After being aware of this fact, they must work on the bottom to top (bottom-up) model, so all employees can understand such importance as well.

Changing the mindset is always a complex matter, but don’t worry: in this post, we will address what it takes to become a 4.0 leader. Check out!

 

Leader 4.0: How to get there?

The Leader 4.0 or Leadership 4.0 term is still poorly widespread among businesses. As mentioned earlier, the fourth industrial revolution has brought countless upgrades to the job market, so professionals must ‘upgrade’ too, and move out of their comfort zones. Seeking knowledge and understanding new technologies is a distinguishing point – and, by the way, is the first step to become a leader of the future.

Moreover, the Leader 4.0 needs multiple skills and competencies, which go far beyond technical issues, to bring synergy between the company’s main pillars: people, processes and technologies.

He must also be aware of novelties and know how to guide his employees, encouraging creativity and teamwork, and getting the best out of each one.

 

The impacts of digital transformation on the leader-employee relationship

Digitization has positive and negative impacts for relationships within organizations. However, the way leaders see change can make all the difference in the future of such organizations.

If they understand the importance of experiencing these transformations and accept innovations in an open way, promoting activities to stir the team, and stimulating and challenging them with new activities, the experience and acceptance of this new mindset will be easier.

If the leaders see digital transformation as a threat, they will surely boycott digitization ideas and initiatives – an attitude that will affect their teams negatively.

Many people don’t see themselves prepared to handle these changes, particularly because they think technology will replace human beings – which isn’t true. Technology is here to help, to automate some time-consuming processes, and to give professionals more time for less operational and more strategic activities.

In other words, innovation came to turn good professionals into successful cases.

 

The focus of Leaders 4.0: technologies vs. people

Although in a much slower pace than in developed countries, technologies and Industry 4.0 are already a reality in Brazil. The revolution that must really happen now, to enable the country to reach the next level, is the change in the professionals’ mindset. And that’s where the focus of leaders 4.0 comes in. They must prepare their employees, in order to make them accept the new processes supported by technologies. Such leaders must instruct them in the right way, encouraging development to extract the best of them, so they can collaborate with the progress of their companies.

There is no point in having access to technologies, if they aren’t used correctly by employees. The truth is that businesses are moved by people and, yes, they must be able to use those technologies to improve their work routine.

What about you? Are you ready to become a 4.0 leader? What actions have you been taken with your team to drive digitization within your company?

Tell us here in the comments section! ?