The gambling industry always needs leadership that’s looking ahead, and that’s never truer than in 2020, as we try to find a way forward during the Covid-19 pandemic. At iGaming NEXT ONLINE: Adventure of Change, Dr. Samuel H. Liggero, Professor at the Tufts Gordon Institute, delivered his tips on how to be a leader in a time of ambiguity.

Dr. Liggero began by describing exactly what it is that his institution does. “Our goal at Tufts Gordon Institute is to inspire and create a worldwide community of transformative leaders with heart, and technology driven industries, just like the iGaming industry,” he said. “Transformative means high-impact step changes to your business, or more broadly, to society. Leaders with heart are those who inspire, who persuade, and lead others with deep empathy and compassion for all. And when I say inspire and create, this means one’s leadership is characterized by incisive curiosity, a bias to action and an eagerness to experiment and take measured risks.”

There are three important traits Dr. Liggero expects a leader to have. “They are technical acumen, business acumen, and emotional intelligence,” he said.

The first part can be helped by understanding the technology that we work with, and that will be relevant soon, but a Leader shouldn’t have to do everything. Instead, they should “surround themselves, or have access to, technology subject matter experts.” Dr. Liggero emphasized why this is so important: