👉 Why even “off-the-tools” leaders need to stay sharp on the tech 🥷

I caught up recently with someone who used to work for me back in my MSP days. I’d contracted him out to a client when he worked for Lindentech, just doing hands-and-feet support for a 30-person Perth office.

Fast forward 20 years, and he’s now responsible for one-third of the IT function at that same global oil & gas services company —but now he has 28 direct reports across 10 countries, with a few years in Malaysia as an expat along the way.

Quite the journey.

But here’s what impressed me the most: he never stopped learning and getting certs. 📚

Despite being firmly in people-leadership territory now, he’s continued to build his technical knowledge. This year? He’s doing his CISSP.

And I’ve noticed this in many strong IT leaders:
🪛 They don’t just leave the tech behind when they go “off the tools.”
🪛They stay across it. They keep learning.
🪛They maintain enough depth to ask the right questions—even if they’re not the ones doing the work anymore.

It reminded me of a story from Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo. Before greenlighting a global SAP rollout, she spent six weeks learning what questions she needed to ask—and making sure she got adequate answers out of SAP and their partners to ensure a successful project.

Whether it’s tech, business, or recruitment—asking the right questions and continuously learning can change everything.

It’s a leadership skill we don’t talk about enough.
Keep curious out there peoples and keep asking the right questions till you get the right answers.