Rapid. If you were to describe today’s business world there’s only one word that best explains it. Rapid.

The growth of technology in the past 5 years has been rapid. The pace at which we communicate lately is rapid. The need of highly skilled talent and experts in our workforce is rapid. Transit and transportation is evolving to help us commute more rapidly. Everything we do is rapid because we don’t want to miss out or be left behind. Change in perceptions, trends and desires among your workforce and customers has been rapid.

Hence, it’s only fair to assume that our ability to accept, adapt and assimilate should logically be rapid!

What does it take to succeed in these times of rapid growth? An exponential leader who is aware of this rapid growth and consistently performing at a rapid pace to capitalize on opportunities. It’s that simple and yet it’s that more challenging to be an exponential leader.

So how do you evolve yourself into an exponential leader? What does it take to embrace these rapid changes? Here are some ways you can make it happen.

1. Think Exponentially

Exponential thinking is looking beyond what’s currently available and in front of us. What we see, experience and enjoy today isn’t what we’ll be seeing, experiencing and enjoying a few months or years from now. Trends are changing rapidly and so should the exponential leaders thinking be. You’ll need to look beyond and look ahead. You’ll need to make the impossible, the unforeseen, a reality. Whatever you can imagine, can be a reality, only if you’re thinking like an exponential leader.

Here’s how you start to think exponentially. Embrace two realities of our times:

• technology is growing exponentially, and
• you need to leverage the capabilities of technology.

There’s no avoiding the impact of technology and its application. From communication to AI and augmented intelligence (human + machine) it’s all being enabled and made possible thanks to the rapid evolution of technology. So I ask you: “what are you waiting for?”

By altering your mindset to think exponentially you’re recognizing that whatever actions you take today, all the strategies you develop and whatever impact you aim to make all needs to target something massively beyond what we can see. What you’re aiming for is much larger than a 5 year business plan. It’s an impact you’re planning on making on the generations to come. It’s a Massive Transformative Purpose that you’re defining and aiming to achieve. Hence, you’ll need to alter your mindset. Stop thinking linearly and start thinking exponentially.

2. Everything Technology

There was a time when tech gadgets and gizmos were simply for tech-geeks. It probably wasn’t even “cool” to be seen with such gizmos. But all that has changed. Technology has become a very important part of our lives. From smartphones and tablets to virtual reality, home assistants and electric vehicles (not to mention the autonomous vehicles we’ll soon be riding) – they’re everywhere! It’s safe to say the more you avoid it the more you’ll be missing out and left behind. In fact, it’s reached a point where you won’t be able to get anything done without technology.

To succeed in these times of rapid growth, embrace technology as if your life depended on it. And while you may have the personal gadgets that you’re so reliant on, you’re evading the benefits of technology at the workplace. But for how long will you be able to do this?

The evolution and enhancements in workplace communication is just one of the ways you can increase productivity and synergies at the office thanks to technology. Then there’s the ability to gain meaningful analytics and insight from various platforms and applications. Technology has also altered how we source and engage with talent. In general, if you really were to dive into everything technology you’ll realize that it’s impacted every aspect of the business world. And to really benefit from it and succeed at a rapid pace you’ll need to immerse yourself and your business with everything technology.

3. Engage With Intelligence

I’ve always been an advocate of engaging with your talent. It’s a great way to motivate and charge up your employees and get the most of out of them in terms of their potential and abilities. But all that has changed – to a certain extent, at least.

You see engaging with your talent to simply motivate and encourage them isn’t going to help you succeed in times of rapid growth. It’s going to take more. What you need to do is align your talent to the massive transformative purpose (MTP) that you’ve set your sights on. Getting the job done from your talent isn’t going to get you far as an exponential leader if all their efforts, their motivation and drive isn’t targeting the same, or similar, MTP.

Take a close look at your talent pool and stand by your resolve which states:

• there’s no place for mediocrity in this exponential organization
• there’s no place for misalignment from the exponential organization’s MTP.

Clean up your organization to ensure your talent are the best at what they do and are aligned 100% with the organization’s MTP. And if you find it challenging to find the right talent to attract, you may want to alter your approach and be open to the idea of employing agile talent.

Regardless whether you have the talent internally or linked externally (agile expert talent), engage with them to ensure your success is guaranteed. These are the intelligence you need to invest in, harvest and grow to embrace rapid changes in the business world.

How have you adapted and altered your traditional ways to embrace the rapid changes and growth we’re experiencing? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Learn how you can take your leadership teams through a growth model which will help them mature on a personal and professional level by following me on LinkedIn and subscribing to the Keijzer Community.

Paul Keijzer is the CEO and Founder of Engage Consulting and the co-Founder of The Talent Games, which aims to transform HR by digitising talent processes and creating more engaging and productive workplaces through gamification and mobile technology. As a global HR and Leadership Management expert, Paul knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.