How I Have Mentored & Led Teams to Drive Digital Transformation & Innovation

Contrary to popular belief, digital transformation or innovation is less about technology and more about mindsets! This is precisely where my experience over the years in terms of mentoring and leading teams to drive massive digital transformation & industry leading innovation has yielded invaluable insights. Given below is a compendium of the same:

Purpose drives passion: Digital transformation projects can span years and multiple functions across the enterprise. In that contest, the “why” (the purpose of the entire transformation drive) is much more important than the “what” (project plans, reviews) in terms of keeping the team motivated & pegged to the guidepost throughout the entire period. I remember a line from a training program 2 decades ago – managers focus on the “what” while leaders focus on the “why”. 

Role agility: As the mentor / sponsor of the digital transformation drive, one needs to play several roles (fire-starter, co-ordinator, lighthouse) along the way, depending on (a) the stage of the project and (b) the emotional swings of the team! A one-size-fits all approach just does not walk throughout the entire journey. It is akin to a long inter-state car journey. You accelerate at times, brake at times, take the turn when required while, of course, you drive straight and steady most of the time!

Know-it-all to learn-it-all approach: An extremely important aspect of mentorship, especially in the context of innovation, is the elimination of hierarchies. As a mentor, you can learn as much as you teach. In my own experience, this is one of the most effective ways to gain the respect of the team and ensure that they stay motivated. In a constantly evolving landscape, everyone needs to recalibrate their approach and reskill themselves, and leading from the front here ensures that everyone down the line does the same, thereby ensuring that the team does not let sacred cows or the NIH (not invented here) syndrome come in the way of industry-leading innovation or change.

Keep moving: A pitfall many teams fall into unconsciously is lack of progress on execution! Surprising and obvious but true. When caught in the maelstrom of reviews, presentations, budgeting et al, at times, the work comes to a halt. Even a little progress is better than being stationary! This is precisely where the mentor must pitch in and remind the team that while non-production work comes with the territory, there must be progress every single day! An extremely simple yet effective tool is to ask the team to tick off the calendar every day after the day’s progress. Even a day’s gap will then highlight the broken chain!

Outside-in experiences: Most mentors follow frameworks. If one wants to get the team to truly think outside the box, and bring in innovative ideas, it is extremely useful to get them acquainted with frameworks / experiences outside their industry. Since mentoring in many scenarios can quickly devolve into domain expertise, it is important to remember that mentoring is different from expertise and gives teams exposure to frameworks/experiences/ideas outside their core, so that they can join the dots and come up with innovative solutions.

EQ (emotional quotient), IQ (intellectual quotient), SQ (spiritual quotient): Long digital transformation projects are emotional rollercoasters. This is precisely where the mentor’s focus on EQ (empathy & emotional listening) comes into play. Innovation involves joining hitherto unconnected dots to come up with exciting ideas. And here’s where the mentor’s focus on IQ (exposure to new areas, intellectual conversations) helps. And, true to your purpose, the ability to stay glued to your north star is what sustains the energy required to carry out transformation or bring in innovation. One of the most effective tools in this area is SQ. Your inner GPS helps you zero in on your true destination, no matter how many twists and turns the road takes! 

Since results are the most effective indicators of success, these approaches have helped me lead teams to drive massive digital transformation & bring in industry-leading innovation, which have helped us create many leaders who moved to senior leadership positions both within and outside the organizations I worked for (GE & Allianz) as well as win more than 100 industry awards for digital transformation & innovation across various global platforms. As Spielberg said, “the delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” 

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