Nine Ways Tech Companies Can Stay Ahead Of The Curve

Technology is changing at an exponential rate, with new software and systems emerging constantly. The fast pace of technological advancements requires businesses in the field to spare no effort in staying up to date with the changes or, indeed, being at the forefront of change, if they want to stand out and be successful.

With the rapid rate of digital and technological change regarded as the biggest threat to global business leaders, according to 68% of respondents in a CEMS survey, it is now more important than ever for tech executives to learn how to adapt and innovate. Below, nine leading members of Forbes Technology Council list several ways in which tech businesses can be prepared for change and stay ahead of the curve.

1. Embrace The Discomfort

From the internet of things to artificial intelligence, the tech space is ever-evolving and is doing so at breakneck speed. You won’t always be the savviest person in the room -- and you need to embrace that. Be receptive and adaptive to change, however uncomfortable that may be. Success comes from the ability to adapt your approach at pivotal moments, all the while leveraging your leadership expertise. - Adnane Charchour, Exous

2. Truly Know And Understand Your Team

It is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team. All too often, we see capable technical teams and leadership fail to perform a gap analysis of the technical infrastructure they control against the team's talents. This is how critical items, especially in cyber defense strategies, get missed or simply incorrectly configured. Leadership is knowing when your team needs help. - Nick Espinosa, Security Fanatics | BSSi2

3. Respond Rapidly To Change

Technology executives need to understand the overall pace of change that's happening in the world today. It’s evident in technology, but it's also evident in globalization and the entire internet mindset. Technology executives need to be able to respond rapidly to this change, not let it overwhelm them. Instead, they should use it to their advantage and leverage it for greater capabilities and profits. - John Clemons, Maverick Technologies

4. Be Disruptive And Agile

Tech execs need to disrupt the current thinking within an enterprise, they need to be agile in decision-making, take risks and keep up with the innovation ecosystem. Also, they need to experiment with different technologies to ensure they are getting that edge they need to propel their products and services to the forefront. - Naresh Soni, Tsunami ARVR

5. Focus On Innovation

Technology executives confuse activity with progress. They have legions of engineers working on countless projects and features. Activity feels like progress. But they need to ask themselves: What's the key innovation that will refactor my industry? Innovation isn't about managing at scale. It's about focusing on the one key product that will win an industry. - Jedidiah Yueh, Delphix

6. Not Be Afraid To Ask 'Dumb' Questions

Ideally, technology executives will know the right places to seek expert advice and will have the humility to ask "dumb questions" when it's necessary. In addition, they should have the wisdom to decide what advice to ignore and which to incorporate. - Casey Ellis, Bugcrowd Inc

7. Get A Coach

The best thing I can say will bring success to any technology exec is to get a coach. Every CEO that I have talked to that is successful has a coach by their side. Their coach helps them be accountable, bounce ideas around and will be there for them when they need advice and support. - Nick Damoulakis, Orases

8. Be Innovative And Proactive Instead Of Reactive

With the rate technology advanced in the past, executives needed to be flexible and adaptable. But, that rate has steadily increased, meaning that if you’re simply adapting, you’re already behind. Technology leaders need to innovate, to be proactive rather than reactive. The ones who will be successful are the ones who will find new, creative ways to use technology to make their teams better. - Alex Bessonov, BitClave

9. Understand Scale

Technology executives need to understand scale. Are their technologies and teams going to scale to the challenges they are facing today and tomorrow? Also, what scales well and what does not? For example, computing capacity scales well inside Amazon Web Services, amounts of time needed to maintain a badly written web site or deployment process do not. - Andrew Korytko, Motive Interactive

This article was originally featured on Forbes. Access it here.