The emergence of the tech leader

There is no size that would prevent large companies from failure. The recent fall of THOMAS COOK spotlights it once more: large companies over 60+ years old are - in essence - conservative and consequently usually ran under old conservative mindsets.

 As it is not in their culture, they cannot protect themselves from the challenges of the #VUCAH environment; they face the "innovator’s dilemma" - introduced brilliantly by Prof Clayton Christensen in his initial work - without the skills necessary to face today’s volatility and uncertainty, circumstances that come out blamed whenever Wall St. decline.

An experienced middle-aged manager with 30+ years of experience can eventually be more a liability than a valuable asset. And I am of enough age to know well what I'm talking about. Depending on his/her position, his/her experience can bring in valuable know-how to the decision making process, the essence of a CEO’s performance.

But not always his/her character, untaimed 30 years before, will now be prepared and able to make the same decisions that once seemed brave but would now sound crazy. Now at his/her 60s, he/she will rarely offer the kind of technological leadership demanded by the times.

And as many times as it happens (Honeywell, Lehman Brothers, World.com, Enron, KODAK, Thomas Cook), it will not cease repeating itself again and again; so we could venture lists of the next falls, especially if we look at some sectors like giants of retail, automotive or airlines, to name but a few.

We will never learn. Just as our joints are stifled with age, companies and their leaders sclerotize and lose a value that is essential in these times and in those to come: agility, adaptability, elasticity, creativity, innovation.

On the other hand, these veterans, in advisory and mentoring functions, would be very valuable provided they had only a staff position outside the line of action. Companies are already “working by projects” while veteran managers of large companies are comfortable with status structures.

What will we look for in a leader capable of overcoming the perfect storms of current times? If age and experience were always rewarded, now is time for talent” and - above all - management. Management means team leadership; and that leadership - today – must be technological. As we need capable, adequate leaders, now we need tech leaders.

#leadtech, #innovation, #management, #VUCAH, #intrapreneurship, #technology