1. Prepare the frontline and leaders: HSBC runs a weekly programme, ‘Digital Thursdays,’ for frontline employees. For senior managers it has a Digital Leadership Program to give them a greater understanding of digital trends and how these relate to customer needs. Technology impacts change, choice, speed, power and shape. Re-imagining the business along these five dimensions cannot be done through annual retreats any more.

2. Don’t be embarrassed to say “I don’t know”: Leaders often view attending workshops as a signal to the world that they have learning gaps. In many organisations, senior leaders sit apart from other participants and keep responding to emails on their phones to signal that their presence is only to encourage the participants — the leader does not need to learn. This is the mindset of a leader from the analog world. In the digital world, being ashamed to admit “I don’t know” is a sign of obsolescence.

3. Practitioners, academics and consultants: Create opportunities for practitioners to engage with academic institutions. One such panel of advisors for an IIM suggested that labour law courses must include talks by practitioners about nuances of labour laws of other countries to supplement Indian labour laws that are already being taught. Bringing in consultants who work across sectors creates opportunities for the entire leadership team to get updated.

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