Pearl Zhu is a digital leader whose career spans over two decades in technology, business, e-commerce, and global industry. She writes books like Digital Agility, Digital Master, and CIO Master, while running the popular 'Future of CIO' blog with millions of views. She brings cross-industrial, cross-cultural experience, applying insight, clarity, and strategic vision to help organizations navigate transformation. Her thought leadership blends foresight and practicality, helping leaders build agility, innovation, and cultural evolution. Her impact lies in elevating digital maturity and giving voice to what it means to lead in change.
"To make change sustain, the important thing is "end-to-end performance."
"Being digital-ready is an overarching approach via building a set of "digital -flavored cultures and taking a series of stepwise practices."
"Learn to visualize for inspiring creativity, and make imagination rolling into reality."
"Decision power is knowledge-based, wisdom-driven and character-oriented."
"Innovation journey is like taking a hiking trip at the trail very few or even no people ever went before, it takes courage and emotional maturity."
"Creative people are optimistic realists to discover versatility."
"Agile is more a "direction, than an "end, a philosophy and mindset at board level."
"Divergent thinking is that one starts thinking from one point and expands from there to generate more ideas."
"Leadership view is multidimensional with the full spectrum of colors."
"Setting the right priorities or having superior time management skill means knowing the difference between "must have, and "nice to have."
"Innovators with global thinking find more viewing spots that the rest; therefore, they can solve problems in unconventional ways."
"You need a strategy to assume leadership, but only the character can sustain leaders as who they really are."
"Running IT with boldness doesn't mean IT goes rogue, it means IT becomes more intelligent."
"Change shouldn't be treated as a singular occurrence when it is an ongoing, continued process and dynamic capability within the organization."
"Many creative minds, just like many light bulbs, lit up simultaneously, could lead to brainstorming and breakthrough innovation."
"The purpose of people-centric Change Management is to build an ongoing change capability."
"Wisdom in the workplace means to inspire creativity, learning, and progression, but discourage unprofessionalism and negativity."
"The big "WHEN about change is not just a particular moment, but a thought-out planning with clear defined timelines."
"The innovation classification is not just based on the required investments, or on the potential market, but on its evolution abilities."
"Observation is a critical activity in the innovation process to understand the context of an issue from a human perspective."
"Orchestrating a diversified team can indeed enhance the higher level of harmony."
"Ecosystem thinking is systematic thinking about ecosystem and environment."
"A hybrid of centralization and decentralization is counter-balance of delivering effective IT capabilities."
"An effective Board can connect all the right dots well."
"The real strategic differentiation is to create true value, look forward, not backward, and present the advanced uniqueness to shine through."
"Innovation is a question of ambition, and imagination, not a question of investment only."
"Silos build the wall in people's minds and tie the knots in their hearts."
"Inspiration is the result of moments of insight and a key component of internal "drive."
"If organizations measure the input to the strategy implementation, but not the output, it's a recipe for disaster."
"Self-reflection is an important stage to diagnose, develop and strengthen your creativity."
"For humans to move to higher ground, we must have different views, but share the common ground as well."
"The boards as top leadership team can no longer avoid, delegate, or ignore the need for technical competency among their ranks."
"Having a title only doesn't make one a leader; talented people without a title don't follow blindly, they practice leadership via influence."
"Creativity is like a muscle, you must exercise it daily or it atrophies."
"Just like changing personality, culture change is possible but difficult."
"A transformation often needs to break down the outdated rules, and a transaction is following the rules."
"The board should set digital principles and guidelines for allowing the business to manage innovation in an effective way."
"In business, complexity both drives innovation and hinders it."
"Learning becomes the knowledge builder and we can define learning through the information it absorbs and the capability it builds."
"Understanding requires a person's ability to grasp or comprehend information."
"A tech-savvy Board sets a right tone for shaping the culture of innovation."
"Creativity requires openness and growth mind to new experiences and explore new possibilities."
"Digital age of business and world shall move up from apathy, to sympathy, to empathy."