These days there’s a lot of talk of new technology. Rightly so. Technology is on an upward trajectory, ever increasing, solving problems and making life easier. It’s an intrinsic part of our lives now, from the in-house assistant (Alexa STOP!) to the self-driving car, it’s all around us. In a similar vein, in the business world, businesses are tapping into technology and using it to offer new products, improve services and streamline processes. This transformation – both digital and technological – is all around us.
Nowhere is this more true than at Mi Crow HQ. As a new brand we’re always looking for ways to reach new customers and to utilise the best of what is out there to interact with people. We recently came across the first fully automated and AI driven marketing platform. If you haven’t heard of it yet, check out albert.ai. It’s pretty mind-blowing. Albert is the world’s first (and currently only) AI marketing bot, that requires little human interaction and does all your digital marketing for you. Big brands are already hopping on board from Harley Davidson through to Dole (large-scale US based fruit and vegetable wholesaler). The AI works through the entire marketing lifecycle from targeting through to analytics, testing and execution across all channels.
Amazing right?
This got us thinking though – all this exciting new technology? All this talk of digital transformation? This must mean we need a whole heap of new skills to get through this and we need to up-skill everyone to do so. In some ways, this is true. Of course new skills and ways of working are required. However, in lots of ways all this digital transformation just needs the “old school” skills that we’ve always used. At the end of the day, digital transformation is just change, but against a different background. Now more than ever we need to: –
- Communicate effectively with each other
- Collaborate on projects, so that teams work together to land the new technology
- Engage (and understand engagement) – with our customers, our employees, our shareholders etc.
- Make clear decisions
- Effectively delegate – so people understand what part they are playing
- Explain change properly, so people can unite behind (and follow) common goals
- Be effective leaders – this is change after all!
These are just to name a few. However, these skills are not new. We’ve been talking about them for years. However, perhaps we’ve become a little sidetracked (and excited) by all the new technology and the benefits that ‘going digital’ can bring. True success comes from mastering these skills and doing them well. They are being applied in a different set of circumstances than we may have known previously (digital world, lots of technology, fast moving etc.), but they are just as important, if not more so. Don’t be afraid to continue to invest in these skills, just as much as looking to the future and thinking about all the new skills you might need. You’ll be just as well rewarded.
