Mary can't afford the luxury of gathering employees, setting goals, offering them generous incentives, and believing that they somehow will make her firm prosperous. Instead, she must refine and polish every algorithm, command, and operand because algorithms can't take the initiative and right the wrong if they "see" it. They work in accordance with the prescriptions of their creators, and that's the only way they do. So, she can improve her business's performance faster and more efficiently than John.
To right the wrong Even when John knows what to do to fix the troubles, he has plenty of work to be done. Processes need to be refined. People need to be retrained. The incentive wages system needs to be updated. And changing the process may be difficult for John. As Mark Twain once said, "the only person who likes change is a baby with a wet diaper." Employees may resist changes, so John will need some time to get them on his side. None of this is an issue for Mary because algorithms are obedient. But as Peter Drucker said, fixing the trouble is not the way to develop a business. If Mary and John have new ideas about their companies, Mary will be able to test and implement them much faster and with fewer errors.
But what makes Mary's thinking digital is a habit of seeing every task as an algorithm, that is, a succession of actions. And Mary can't launch a new product or service until those actions are thought out in detail and turned into ones and zeros. Admittedly, it is not simple, which doesn't make managing a digital business an easier task than being a leader of a conventional one. But if it is done, chances are that such a company will outcompete its traditional rivals, who can start a new project with only an impressive goal, enthusiasm, and motivation.
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