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December 22, 2020

The Top Digital Business Skills to Acquire

in 2021

Articles (/blog-archive/category/Articles) MAKE YOUR

MEETINGS BETTER

This year has caused a huge and unprecedented shift in the landscape for Sign up for a
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businesses and business leaders. With most employees working remotely for the 30-day FREE trial now!

majority
Got i t
of the year, digital skills became imperative for companies to survive in a
struggling economy.  Sign up/
 (https://stormboard.com
The use of trendy automation tools like ASA automation, voice-activated automation,
hyper-automation, robotics, and AI (https://stormboard.com/blog-archive/2021-
Book a demo to learn more
business-automation-trends-to-take-advantage-of)have become less of a “trend” and
about how Stormboard can
more like must-have tools in the workplace. These technologies have resulted in a
help you and your team.
new set of digital business skills required for leaders to see success. 

Being a great leader in the workplace has always been an acquired skill itself;
Book a
however, with the digital marketplace overtaking businesses, being an effective (https://calendly.com/sto
leader now requires an updated and unconventional skillset to manage teams,
remote work, digital marketing, and software development. 

RECENT POSTS
Investing in and promoting digital leadership within the workforce can breed success
for the industry, organization, and team as a whole. We’ve compiled a list of five skills
Your Guide to Mind Mapping
that we feel are the most important for business leaders to acquire in the upcoming with Stormboard (/blog-
archive/your-guide-to-mind-
year. mapping-with-stormboard)

Stormboard is Now Integrated

Be innovative — think outside the box and With Dropbox! (/blog-

archive/stormboard-is-now-
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be ready to adapt to change
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PUCCKA Template (/blog-
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s to not get too comfortable and always remain archive/your-guide-to-
stormboards-puccka-
flexible in your mentality, direction, and planning strategies. Software and digital template)
technologies are continually advancing and offering new services to simplify our
business processes. Trends are everchanging, information is being absorbed and The Top Digital Business Skills
to Acquire in 2021 (/blog-
turned over more rapidly, and competition is fiercer than ever.  archive/the-top-digital-
business-skills-to-acquire-in-
2021)
A successful business leader must remain innovative in their approach to business
planning, execution, and trends. Being a thought leader in your industry is more 2021 Business Automation
Trends to Take Advantage Of
critical now than ever before. The competition can quickly get ten steps ahead just (/blog-archive/2021-business-
automation-trends-to-take-
by being a little bit more forward-thinking.  advantage-of)

How do you stay innovative? Never stop learning and don’t avoid calculated risks.  How to Guard Against Remote
Work Conflict (/blog-
archive/how-to-guard-against-
Read everything you can, from different perspectives, about your industry. Get a hold remote-work-conflict)

of the latest research, and don’t shy away from learning new skills. Education is key
6 Awesome NEW Updates to
to developing new ideas and strategies that breed success. Your In-Storm Experience
(/blog-archive/awesome-new-
updates-to-your-in-storm-
One of the most significant mistakes a leader can make in today’s business experience)

landscape is to avoid risks or seek comfort. There’s value in breaking the mold and
using discomfort as a marketing strategy — as long as your risks are calculated (and
you have a back-up plan if they don’t pan out). Taking risks will help you stand out as
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a leader in the market and stay one step ahead of your competition. CATEGORIES

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Adopt agile practices

Agile PI Planning (4) (/blog-
/
 Adopt agile practices archive/category/Agile+PI+Plann

Agile practices are taking over the workplace (https://stormboard.com/product/agile) Announcements (29)

for one good reason: they create more efficient teams than many other forms of (/blog-

project management.  archive/category/Announcemen

Articles (119) (/blog-

“Agile practices” refer to a type of project management strategy done in small archive/category/Articles)
intervals or sprints. Each sprint uses the previous sprint and an adaptable mentality Customer Story (2) (/blog-
to make changes for future processes.  archive/category/Customer+Stor

Education Plan Updates (6)

Agile practices work best in a smaller team structure (but can be adopted for larger
(/blog-
teams as well) that values customer-based feedback and focuses heavily on human
archive/category/Education+Plan
connection and interaction. This project management strategy consists of four values
Guides (22) (/blog-
(https://www.productboard.com/glossary/agile-values/):
archive/category/Guides)
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation  Inspiration (35) (/blog-

• Working software over comprehensive documentation archive/category/Inspiration)

New Features (17) (/blog-

• Individuals and interaction over processes and tools
archive/category/New+Features)
• Responding to change over following a plan
Remote Teams (50) (/blog-

archive/category/Remote+Teams
Where automation is becoming more acceptable in the workplace, agile leadership
Reports (10) (/blog-
practices bring humanity back into the staff/customer interaction. It allows
archive/category/Reports)
businesses to pivot appropriately and to better serve their customer base and build
Templates (30) (/blog-
rapport with existing and new clients. Becoming agile allows for a more efficient and
archive/category/Templates)
productive work environment. 
Tutorials (22) (/blog-

archive/category/Tutorials)
Become an expert communicator
Effective communication skills are more vital than ever before. 
CONNECT WITH US
With sales, and interactions with employees and customers, now taking place almost
entirely online, customers are craving a human connection.  (http (http (http (http

Business leaders have to find ways to digitally communicate openly with their target
demographic and build a healthy rapport with their audience and employees.
Without healthy communication, a company will likely falter.  Search

Where business leaders may have been able to take a step back from
communication previously, the digital age has required leaders to step into the NOTE: Type your search

spotlight, addressing timely issues and being the face and voice of their brand. This query above, but do NOT

interaction is necessary to build sales, teams, and strengthen the brand voice.  press Enter. Search will

start once you stop typing

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To be a successful business leader, you must be comfortable communicating with and your results will
your
Got i tstaff, team, and customers to create a secure and safe environment for all of the appear in a drop-down
supporters of your brand. This empowers the business both internally and externally, menu. /
 which drives success.

Communication skills are especially important when managing remote and

distributed teams. With COVID-19 demanding that more people work remotely, you
need to be able to effectively communicate with every member of your team to
ensure that no one feels left behind or unnoticed.  

Increase your digital literacy

Leaders are now required to understand not only their business, but also content
marketing platforms, social media, different software, internet tools, and online
trends in order to even begin to develop a successful business plan. 

Though this may seem overwhelming or intimidating, the good news is that there are
countless online courses and resources that can teach you everything you need to
know. We recommend investing time and money into high-level courses that will
teach you how to be comfortable behind the computer. 

Make sure to do regular research on different software that is used in your industry,
and stay up-to-date on trends that your company may want to follow. Remaining
digitally literate will help with your professional development and will make you
fiercer competition. 

It’s important to note that online tools, apps, and trends are constantly changing.
This is a work in progress! Stay diligent in reading about up-and-coming trends and
statistics. It’s important to understand future digital trends and cultural trends that
are digitally relevant to your business.  

Use directional planning 

Directional planning is a way to create a strategy for your company that is flexible
and general. This is ideal in dynamic environments where flexibility is required in
order to respond to unexpected changes. If there is one thing that 2020 has taught
us, it’s the need to be flexible. 

This planning style involves identifying and communicating your mission, vision, and
brand story, both internally and externally. While the way you do business may shift
throughout the year, these concepts will not, and in order to build trust with your
audience, you need to convey the things that they can trust to remain the same. 

As a successful business leader in 2021, you’ll never want to lose sight of what the
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story behind the brand is. That will be the ticket to separating your brand from your
competitors. 
Got i t

/
 Conclusion
Well there is no doubt that 2021 will continue to bring unexpected changes to the
business world, one this is for sure — learning these skills will allow you to make
better decisions, become a more well-rounded leader, and be ready to adapt to
anything that comes your way! 

About the Author

Celina Dawdy is a freelance writer in Edmonton, Alberta. When she isn’t writing,
she’s volunteering and spending time with her three dogs.

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Tagged: business skills (/blog-archive/tag/business+skills), 2021

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