Digital Leadership: The 21st Century Leadership Style

As a process of digital transformation, the previous, classic leadership competencies were supplemented with new ones, and a new leadership style, the digital leadership emerged. What was considered an advantage a few years ago is now a basic requirement. Technology can no longer be seen as just a tool. A digital leader must ensure that technology is a central element of the strategy. This paper examines this area from the perspective of leadership competencies and emerging challenges. Objectives of this study were to analyse digital leadership as a leadership style, and to investigate the connection between classical and digital leadership skills. At the same time the main challenges - employees and leaders face - have been also examined. Results: In this research it was determined that digital leadership exists beside the classic and modern leadership styles and it complements them. Strong relation has been found between classical and digital leadership skills. It was observed that employees in leadership roles tend to view their own superiors more favourably than employees without subordinates. Finally, the main challenges that employees and leaders face in the workplace due to digital transformation were summarised. Conclusion: The acceleration of technological development and the rise of digitization have brought humanity into a constantly changing world, posing unprecedented challenges for all of us. For managers, this may require new skills, or a different application of traditional leadership competencies, which now carry a different weight in the digital age.