High-potential leaders from around the world were consistent in expressing the view that technological savvy will be a key competency for the global leader of the future. One trend on this issue was clear - the younger the participant, the greater their emphasis in the importance of technological savvy. Many young future leaders have been brought up with technology and view it as a part of their life. Many present leaders still view technological savvy as something that is important for staff people, but not for the line officers that run the "real" business.
What does "technological savvy" mean? It does not mean that every future leader will be a gifted technician or a computer programmer. It does mean that leaders will need to:
1) understand how the intelligent use of new technology can help their organizations;
2) recruit, develop and maintain a network of technically competent people;
3) know how to make and manage investments in new technology and
4) be positive role models in leading the use of new technology.
Most young participants believed that new technology would become a critical variable that will directly impact their organization's core business. They expressed little sympathy for executives who thought they were either "too busy" or "too important" to learn the power of new tools. The clear consensus was that organizations that had technologically savvy leaders would have a competitive advantage over organizations that did not.