Leading in a digital workplace is not the same as leading in a physical office. Yet, we’re seeing a lot of push for people to return to the office. Sure, part of this might be about expensive office space sitting empty, but there’s something else going on. Many leaders just haven’t developed the skills to thrive in a virtual space. Even after years of hybrid and remote work becoming the norm, the actual leadership skills needed for digital environments haven’t caught up.

As we often do, we looked beyond the traditional corporate world for inspiration. So, who’s leading in digital spaces? Our answer: social media influencers. And no, we’re not talking about the ones promoting energy drinks or chocolate bars. We’re talking about purpose-driven influencers who use their platforms to shift mindsets and spark behavior change in their audiences.

Leading in a digital workplace requires a completely new skill set, and if you’re not evolving, you’re falling behind. Luckily, we can draw some serious inspiration from a surprising source: esports content creators. These pros have mastered the art of building communities, engaging audiences and creating content in a virtual world.

So, here are four actionable tips for developing leadership skills in today’s digital workplace, all inspired by the world of esports.

1. Master Community Management

Esports content creators are masters at community management. They use platforms like Discord, which aren’t that different from Microsoft Teams or Slack, but they approach it in a whole new way. They don’t just broadcast messages; they create real two-way conversations.

Most internal communication teams tend to focus on sending out information rather than creating dialog, which misses the mark. The key is engaging your audience in ways that resonate with their different personas. It’s about understanding that not everyone communicates the same way and crafting messages that hit home for each segment of your team. Leaders need to be more like community managers, fostering an ongoing dialogue rather than just sending one-way updates.

2. Rethink Live Streaming

When esports content creators jump onto Twitch, they’re not just talking at their audience — they’re interacting with them in real time. Compare that to how many leaders run their Zoom or Teams calls: a one-way monologue that rarely invites any interaction. Esports creators turn their audience into part of the conversation, which drives engagement and loyalty.

Leaders can do the same by thinking of their meetings more like live streams — inviting participation, creating a back-and-forth and fostering a sense of community even in a virtual setting. Encourage leaders to not only talk to their team members, but to talk with them.

3. Create Engaging Content

Most of us are no longer in the office every day, so leaders can’t rely on face time to stay visible to their teams. They need to show up digitally, and that means creating engaging content. Esports content creators are pros at balancing different types of content to keep their audience hooked.

Encourage leaders to think of their leadership presence like this: You’ve got longer-form content (think YouTube videos or detailed updates), shorter form content (like TikTok-style quick hits or Instagram reels), and micro-content (tweets or short social media posts). Understanding when and how to use each type of content will keep your team engaged. And here’s a tip: Ditch the blurred backgrounds and awkward camera angles — it’s time to level up your production skills to match the standards people expect from content outside the office.

4. Leverage Artificial Intelligence

Of course, we can’t talk about the future of leadership without bringing up AI. AI can make content creation so much easier. Once you’ve created your long-form content —whether it’s a live stream or video — AI tools can help break it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces like blogs or social media posts.

Think of it like a “content creation cone.” At the top, you have community management, which requires the most human input. Then, as you move down through live streaming, long-form, short-form and micro-content, you can leverage AI more and more. The goal isn’t to let AI create content from scratch but to use it to refine and summarize the human-led content you’ve already made. This way, your tone and message stay authentic, while AI helps scale the process.

Conclusion

These are just four ways you can start developing leadership skills in a digital-first world, all inspired by the magic of esports content creators. It’s time to think differently about how we lead — by fostering communities, creating real conversations and showing up digitally in ways that inspire.

Leading in the virtual world is no longer optional — it’s essential.