I believe that great leaders are made, not born. Many experience the drive and calling of leadership, but it’s the skills that make us successful.

Many leadership skills are self-evident. Leaders need to be good collaborators and connectors. They need to be good at listening and communicating. They need to be good at motivation and encouragement. They need to be good at vision, goal setting, and strategy. The list goes on. In the brief sample of skills, I just listed I bet every one of my readers has something they are great at, and other skills they are working on.

These are all important. Some may come naturally, while others feel like a lot of work. One thing I know for sure: Everything can be learned.

Speaking of learning, I’d like to use this article to describe a new set of leadership skills that the world needs. Our world is increasingly digital. Many leaders still struggle with leading effectively in fully remote and hybrid work models.

I’ve been intentionally learning a new set of digital leadership skills for a while now. Like anything else, it takes a lot of practice to get proficient. Many leaders try something once or twice and give up. These skills can be attained, but it takes drive and persistence.

Instant Messaging

Is Instant Messaging really new? The first mainstream IM service, AOL Instant Messenger was released in 1997. The first corporate IM service, Office Communicator, was released in 2007. You may not recognize Office Communicator by that name. It evolved into Lync, then Skype, and finally, Teams. Alternatively, you may run Slack in your organization.

While these aren’t new, it just takes a while for the Diffusion of Innovations curve to reach full adoption. Everyone uncomfortable with these communications tools are now in the laggard category. It’s time.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Zach, I know how to IM. Done. Next topic.” Not so fast…

Let me challenge you a bit. How often, is IM your go-to? Many are comfortable scheduling a meeting or making a phone call. Try to get it done with IM instead. Many leaders will respond to IM but are uncomfortable initiating it. With everyone’s busy schedules, asynchronous communication is often more efficient and effective than synchronous alternatives.

Lastly, IM isn’t just about the words. Leaders should use emojis, gifs, and memes to communicate. I realize that 10 years ago, many considered emojis, gifs, and memes to be “unprofessional.” Now, I’d consider the lack of use as “out of touch.”

Audio and Video

Public speaking is hard enough. Early in my leadership journey, I worked hard to get over my stage fright and develop my skills and confidence. The next stage of that journey is proficiency in audio and video. Most emerging leaders I know don’t have a production crew following them around. So being good with video, means learning the skills for both sides of the camera. You are the talent and the crew.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with all sorts of software and equipment. I’ve learned how to make the best use of what I’ve got, even if it’s just my smartphone. I pay attention to lighting, angle, background, microphones, and acoustics. Then I get busy with editing and publishing.

You can read books, watch videos, and read articles about how to do all of this, but I have one very important piece of advice: Just do it. Then you can get over your fear, get feedback, honestly evaluate, make adjustments, then try again. That’s the only way to get proficient.

Some of you are wincing right now. You are thinking to yourself, I’m not good at this. The only way I’d do it is if I’d have a professional production team helping me. Stop. That’s not how the modern world works. Let go of your self-consciousness. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Regular people with a selfie camera on a cell phone gather millions of followers. You can make a video for the benefit of your team.

Social Media

What would you say to a leader who never had any interactions outside of their company? They never went to conferences, industry events, or charity fundraisers. They never did any outside networking or mentoring. They’d never meet someone for lunch or a sporting event. You’d think to yourself, “Wow, that person is pretty insular. I bet they don’t get many new ideas. I bet their influence is small and their network is tiny.”

Like it or hate it, social media is the digital equivalent nowadays. If all of your social networking is physical, and none of it is digital, you are missing the boat. It’s not too late yet, but I predict that eventually, this will be a career limiter.

I’ve invested heavily in my professional leadership persona on social media. My primary focus is LinkedIn. However, I’ve seen others develop successful networks on other providers such as Twitter or YouTube.

I’ve formed many new business relationships on LinkedIn. I’ve attracted talented people to my team via LinkedIn (not just through job postings, but through my content).

It’s not just about having a professional-looking profile. That’s a nice start, but it’s not enough. Why print 1000 fancy business cards if you aren’t going to hand them out? Being active on LinkedIn is more important than having a nice profile.

Some aren’t ready to produce original content. That’s okay. Simply reacting, commenting, and sharing other content is a great place to start. Additionally, any time you meet a new business contact in real life, immediately connect with that person on LinkedIn. That’s what I do. I haven’t carried business cards in years.

A digital world calls for digital leadership skills

I’ve given you some digital skills to develop. There’s a good reason why you haven’t developed them. The analog ways still work, for now. The world is changing. It’s time to jump ahead of the curve rather than be disrupted by it. I predict that those who master these skills will advance faster than those who do not.

Here’s my challenge to you. The next time you think about sending an email or picking up the phone, ask yourself, “Can I Instant Message instead?” When you write the IM, ask yourself, “Should I add an emoji before I send it?”

The next time you think about sending out a department-wide newsletter or memo, ask yourself “Should I shoot a video for this instead?”

The next time you spend 2 hours at an in-person networking event, ask yourself, “Did I connect with everyone I met on LinkedIn?” Also ask yourself, “When was the last time I invested two hours building my digital professional network online?”

To be clear, leaders need to be effective in person and digitally. I’ve just found the drive to develop digital skills to be lacking in many leaders. I hope this article spurs a healthy motivation to learn. Regardless of your starting point, we can all get better with focus and effort.

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