The Digital and AI industries are the main drivers of the revolution unfolding across the global economy. Here, the pace of change is the most unrelenting: what is leading edge today can quickly become outdated tomorrow, pushed aside by start-ups working in remote corners of the ecosystem. This environment places a premium on executives who have the flexibility, experience, and track record to drive meaningful transformation. These leaders exist — but many of them sit deep inside of organizations and are not very visible.

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At Reed & Sterling, our Digital and AI Practice has extensive experience helping organizations navigate these leadership challenges in a world that prizes agility over size and diversity over homogeneity. The digitization of everything was just the beginning. That initial transformation paved the way for subsequent disruptions to occur with greater ease and frequency. Everything from software to transportation is now a service, bringing a consumer mindset to every interaction. New levels of connectivity generate more data to be monetized. And digital business models that transcend boundaries are clashing with business and regulatory frameworks established when geography was a real constraint.

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At Reed & Sterling, our Digital Practice provides both digital and legacy companies with the leadership solutions to harness disruption rather than succumb to it. Because we come directly from the industry we serve, we move at its pace, questioning assumptions and thinking about creative talent solutions, whether that entails C-suite search, assessment, or advisory work. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been described as “the best or worst thing ever for humanity” (Elon Musk). Some of the largest companies we know today  have disrupted multiple industries through the use of digital technology. These same companies are now rethinking all of their core products to solve user problems by applying machine learning and focusing their efforts on artificial intelligence.

 

All of these changes mean that many of the traditional talent markers of age and career path no longer apply. Indeed, many members of the current wave of digital pioneers have little to no experience in the industries they are disrupting. While this may make innovation easier, it makes evaluating and developing talent, identifying gaps, and designing the right roles and organizational structure more critical than ever before.