Today business leaders have more options than ever before. Technological innovations like mobile devices, artificial intelligence, social media, cloud computing, and others have changed the landscape. Leaders can use these tools to communicate, lead and train their employees more efficiently. They don’t have to rely on physical presence to build relationships across the world. It’s opening opportunities for a new style of leadership.
Here are some of the ways effective leaders can use the latest technologies:
Provide Flexible Work Environments
In today’s competitive job market, top talent has more options than before. So leaders need to provide incentives for employees to stay loyal. A flexible work environment is one of the most wanted perks. In the past, companies couldn’t provide location-independence or time-flexible jobs. But technologies like video conferencing, online messaging, and collaboration software can help create better work options. Leaders can stay ahead of the competition using these tools to provide remote work or work-from-home opportunities.
Use Social Media Effectively
Social media is a new way for leaders to communicate. They can become influencers to motivate and inspire their employees. Also, they can build strong relationships with their customers using podcasts, video messages, and blogs. An effective use of social media can help leaders create a brand without spending large amounts on advertising. Brand loyalty is good for both employee and customer retention.
Train Employees Faster and More Cost-Effectively
In the past, onboarding new employees and keeping the skills of older employees up to date required a lot of time and resource investment. HR and other departments used dedicated staff to maintain these endeavors. But technology has made things easier. Today video and interactive software can help onboarding and training. Businesses can hire the best instructors to provide training remotely. So managers can provide higher quality educational opportunities at lower costs.
Expand into Diverse Markets
Language barriers prevented companies from penetrating foreign markets. Communication was a huge problem. But the latest translate tools are helping companies expand their businesses to other countries. Managers can use these translation tools to effectively communicate with foreign partners and build relationships. The tools use artificial intelligence to produce more accurate results.
Provide Leadership Across the World
Business leaders can give more personal attention to their geographically scattered teams. Previously, managing global teams was a nightmare. Connected devices and open communication channels have made the process easier. Managers can respond to any crisis around the world with the click of a button. Today leaders can have more direct impacts on their remote teams due to technology.
Originally published at jasonwalkerphd.com