Smart business leaders understand that we are operating in a digital economy, one that demands digital disruption. As a CEO for a technology services company that specializes in enabling businesses to positively transform themselves using digital technology, I spend a great deal of time speaking with other business leaders about the challenges they face as they try to outpace their competitors and become a more mature digital company. More often than not, executives cite the following challenges:

• Speed: C-level leaders worry that their digital transformation journey isn’t progressing quickly enough. In fact, 59% of digital decision makers are concerned that they may be too late with their digital transformation efforts, and 86% say they believe they need to make critical investments in digital transformation within two years.

• Talent Resources and Culture: Accelerating digital transformation efforts requires the right skill sets. According to Gartner (registration required), CIOs and CEOs report culture, resources and talent as the top three digital business impediments.

• Budgeting Appropriately: Digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight, and until a company has a clear understanding of its product roadmap, it can be nearly impossible to predict the required investment. It’s critical that CEOs sequence their digital transformation program to ensure early quick wins and define the level of effort before launching a full-blown product development cycle.

To overcome these problems, business leaders should follow in the steps two inspirational creative thinkers: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Agile Methodology 

Consider Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous painting — the Mona Lisa. This was not a painting he created overnight. It was not a sudden burst of creativity that poured out of his paintbrush as a finished product. He took an intentionally iterative approach. He began in 1503, and though the painting was considered “done” after four years and sold to its first owner, it is widely believed that he did not stop working on it until his death in 1519.

Leonardo was the first true Agilist. He never stopped iterating. He began with the basics: a primer coat of paint, an undercoat with the colors mixed just so. From there, he added layer upon layer, meticulously toying with the colors and shadows to create depth and mystery. Each iteration was inspired by his research — as he made discoveries about human anatomy, he tweaked his subject’s positioning. His interest in facial muscles eventually led to the layer of paint depicting the famous smile that confounds us all. The end result of this iterating is a masterpiece we now wade through crowds to see in the Louvre.