Digitization not only makes it necessary to adapt the business model, processes, and infrastructure, but the key success factors to implement a digital strategy are committed and competent employees who fully support the strategy. This also places the focus on leaders: they are pivotal for the changes.

Relevance of analog leadership is increasing

When talking about digitization, it is not only concerning technological change. Increasing digitization not only calls for professional and digital skills, but also for communication and humanity, as well as relationship competence and self-competence.

We will not win the digital race by mastering technologies, but by maintaining and developing humanity in collaborating –  particularly in leadership. Wherever people want to be successful together and achieve objectives, relationship competence is an essential key to success. It requires the ability to establish genuine contact with others, to build and to maintain relationships even under difficult conditions. 

Setting an example

The basis for this relationship competence is well-developed self-competence. Nature shows that there is nothing that does not grow from the inside out. This also applies to us: we can only really practice and develop relationship competence when we have established a good relationship with ourselves. Once this has been achieved, we can deal with basic human needs in association with leading employees. Basic needs, which everyone carries in himself, in different mix, in a different form, are key drivers of our behavior.

Placing emphasis on employees

As humans, we are geared towards being in contact with others, helping and supporting each other. And the digital age presents particular challenges to meet these basic needs. Being connected, for example. Just because we are exchanging data does not mean that we are really connected. It takes authentic one-on-one contact. And this means that employees are at the center.

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients.” Sir Richard Branson 

In the context of digitization, technological change is only one of several aspects. Employee commitment is the major driver for success in implementing and applying a digital strategy. Leaders play a key role in this. Humanity based on well-developed self-competence and relationship competence is a central success factor. And real personality development is therefore a top priority.