KPMG: Digital Mindset Framework, deep dive

Carlijn Hattink and Guido Soonius of KPMG took a deep interactive dive into the Digital Mindset Framework at the Leadership in Digital conference on March 28, 2025. The Framework emphasizes the importance of connecting, fostering personal growth and innovation, and courageousness for digital leaders. Attendees responded via Menti.com to statements on the big screen. In response to the first question posed, the majority of attendees indicated they mostly recognize the ‘courage to act and challenge’ in their own leadership. While innovation is recognized as an important capability in an organization, the audience believes that not everyone in the organization needs to be an innovator.

Make your digital leadership personal

Guido Soonius, Director of Digital Strategy at KPMG, says that while the personal touch is not defined in the four quadrants of the Digital Mindset Framework, it is essential to being a good digital leader. “Your motivation and passion must shine through for your personal leadership to be effective. The personal touch gives authenticity.” He cites André van Alphen, director of ICT services at UWV, who charismatically shapes his digital leadership. “Van Alphen organized his own year-end conference for his employees, had a cybersecurity escape room built and had poems written and put up to emphasize the importance of cybersecurity,” Soonius says.

The Digital Mindset Framework gives digital leaders guidance, but it is rare to find all elements of the four quadrants equally present in one person. The crucial competencies can be learned to a certain extent, but it is crucial to organize them within your leadership team and throughout the different layers of the organization, says Carlijn Hattink, Director of Digital Transformation at KPMG. The context of the organization also affects how much need there is for each of the competencies in the quadrants. The environment must be safe, to make mistakes in innovative processes, is a recurring statement. A tip from a member of the audience: “Have the leadership team perform an operational role once a month. I learn a lot from that and get the best ideas from it.' The breakout session ends with a small-group discussion about ways to innovate, how to organize for change and how to change an organization's mindset, among other subjects.