Unlocking Digital Leadership "As CEO and Managing Director, Tanvir works with his team of former elite athletes-turned-business-and-digital-consultants on teaching businesses how to thrive in a disruptive world. As a podcast host, he interviews former elite athletes turned business executives. Some of these include executives from companies like JP Morgan, Walmart, Gold’s Gym, Skip the Dishes, and United Health Group. He is also a member of the Forbes Tech Council, an invite-only community.
His forthcoming book The New (Digital) Mindset: Thrive in Disruption, is slated to launch early 2022. A Canadian at heart, today he lives in Dallas, TX with his wife and loves the fact that he can do workouts outdoors 365 days of the week." We all want to connect through stories and this talk is meant to provide some tools and tips to help in our digital leadership path. The pandemic has made many lives busier, introduced more personal stress and burnout but we are not more confident about the certainty of the future. The idea of digital leadership is to help us thrive in that uncertain environment. This lack of confidence in the future exists within the corporate leadership world as well. As a new VP of Tech, Tanvir experienced initial first months of positivity that came to a sudden halt due to an unforeseen event - the potential for a loss of money was involved, maintaining team trust was difficult and task change was necessary. Falling back on the experience of being a collegiate football player, a Vanier Cup winner with McMaster University, when Mike "The Pinball" Clemens spoke to Tanvir's team helped to provide the focus necessary to get past self-doubt and negativity. "Every man, every day, every down, all day" (Clemens) - that is all what you can control. We need to show up, execute and do the work. There is no new normal - we need to focus on what is happening now and each day as we move forward. Digital leadership has noted 5 trends - technology is being commoditized, there are too many technology options and only increasing, artificial intelligence is on the rise and will affect jobs in the future, we are all consumers and consumer demands are rising, and competitive advantage is through technology. Change is here and what worked in the past won't be effective anymore. The only way to thrive in the future is by focusing on leadership in a digital world. How to become a digital leader involves PRO - Playoffs; the Regular Season; the Off-Season. The Off-Season is the most important part, where a team builds foundations and clarity. The preparation for what's to come. We watch athletes perform that is represented by an even larger amount of behind-the-scenes training. We need to do things today in order to win the game (i.e. be successful) tomorrow. We need to identify where industries and your job is going to identify the skillsets needed and start investing. We need people to buy-in to the team's efforts and goals. An interview with ex-NHLer TJ Galiardi provided the insight that his success came by "passing the puck" where a teammate is going to be, not where they are now, which translates to business culture and our careers as well. The execution of digital leadership is greater than the best strategy. The three skills needed in the future are adaptability, cross-functional leadership and decision making. None of this is new but the people who are doing well have already unlocked these key points. We need to objectively evaluate ourselves against these three things in developing an action plan that will be successful. How easy is it for us decide on a restaurant with someone else, pick a new phone, do a new work project or learn a new computer program? Know that we need to change with our customers and be ready to adapt. Uncertainty isn't bad, we just don't know what's going to happen. Therefore, gain skills, train to be adaptable and be positive. Tanvir's life path included athletics, followed by an MBA and then onto the tech sector - completely different things. Each area has provided opportunities to be better prepared to adapt in life. All of the digital transformation projects Tanvir has been involved with have included working with people. His success was directly related to investing into his team, leadership and managing up, and having an impact and influence around him. A leader needs to lead others through change. A leader does not need to have all of the answers. Decision making is a necessary part of the digital leadership process and we have a finite amount of mental focus and resources to put towards it. We need to automate or delegate decision making that does not impact our bottom line. Don't focus on the small things each day - the more decisions we make each day, the less willpower we have at the end of the day. Great football players make great decisions. Tech is not going to take over the world - build your foundations to be prepared to deal with the chaos and be a leader who can adapt and thrive, which starts with you. When asked by Club Member Jen, Tanvir shared success stories of this talk that included the business Wuxly and how their team has a more open mind in taking things on now and another participant who received 3 job offers in the same month by reaching out to people and making more connections, having an open mind, and working on his cross-functional leadership skills. It is a great feeling to know that others have been inspired and motivated. Club Member Larry thanked Tanvir for his presentation, finding it inspiring and informative, noting that a donation to The Rotary Foundation was being made in his name to continue the good work it allows for around the world, like eradicating polio and promoting world peace and understanding. |
