Digital transformation is changing the role of the leader

Elavon's Luis Lancos says that the most important role for a leader is the ability to set the vision for the company, rather than the imposition of strict rules

In this ongoing period of disruption and transformation, "The role of the leader is fundamentally changing," Luis Lancos, SVP Technology Europe at payments processor Elavon, told Computing's delegate director and associate editor Evert Lombaert.

Elavon is an international player in the payments area: it has customers in 30 countries and processes more than 5.6 billion transactions.

The financial services space is "vibrant", undergoing disruption from fintechs and new technologies like blockchain, as well as regulatory challenges. In such a market, the most important attribute for a leader is "the ability to set the vision [of the company], and to lead by thought leadership."

Lancos continued, "It's not about imposing or being prescriptive; it's about having the thought leadership to drive the team.

"Talking of the team, we live in a world that is so competitive… Talent is key. The ability for leaders to be able to detect talent, to intake, develop and grow that talent...is absolutely crucial."

Digital transformation is set to change the dynamic of what a leader is, Lancos warned, especially as siloes break down and organisations become more agile.

"Typically DevOps and agile teams are self-empowered and self-organising. That means that the role of the leader is fundamentally changing. The role of the leader is about understanding the change; understanding the opportunities of the change; and then having a collaborative approach and coaching the teams and organisation to help to enhance and embrace that change and that transformation."

In the video, Lancos also discusses Elavon's approach to cybersecurity ("We are a cyber-conscious company"), the use of cloud and public cloud, and the importance of using multiple cloud providers ("One single cloud provider does not give you all the benefits you are looking for").