Recently retired Motus CIO David Long realised early in his career that project and people management were equally important to any IT leader’s success, and plans to impart this wisdom as an executive coach and industry consultant.
Recently retired Motus CIO David Long may have just returned from five days in the Kruger National Park with family, but his professional journey is far from over. Much like his time in the bush, David is now charting a different path – this time as an executive coach and IT consultant.
In a reflective conversation with CIO South Africa, David shared lessons from his years as a CIO and offered valuable advice for aspiring technology leaders.
“It’s very important to be grounded in the specific discipline you’ve chosen or skill you bring to the table,” he says.
“It’s also crucial to be flexible because it’s unlikely that you’ll always be in the same role – it will change and evolve as the technology landscape changes. In addition, you need to look after and inspire the people you work with – they are the ones who will help you make things happen and make coming into the office rewarding.”
Sharpen your saw
Technical capability is a given for any IT leader. Early in his career, David realised there were other skills that were needed for a career in IT.
“Top of mind is project and task management, as well as people management skills: it’s important to know how to engage and deal with people, especially when leading teams – not forgetting problem-solving: you face many technical and people challenges as an IT leader."
With that said, that high level of responsibility can amount to a lot of pressure and releasing this pressure is important. Having a healthy work-life balance is one way to go about it and David has some experience in that department.
“It’s very important to be able to step out of your comfort zone or role, to spend time in business, studying things that aren’t IT related, and making time to have a well-rounded life. This means spending time outside the work environment – travelling is always one good option,” he suggests.
David also points out the power of networking. He uses the CIO South Africa community as a perfect example of where executives can explore what other organisations are doing, while looking at their own organisation from an outward-in perspective. “Engaging with community members and IT professionals from diverse industries is crucial. Bear in mind that most executives rarely share individual experiences or have an avenue for important conversations. CIO South Africa is an excellent facilitator for this,” David adds.
Then there’s the power of upskilling. When David reached a certain level of IT management, he went off to do an MBA and moved into a business role for a few years in sales, marketing and strategy. “I wanted to gain more business understanding and not be purely technically focused, in order to look at the world from a business lens.”
Rewiring, not retiring
Any IT professional worth their salt will tell you that even when you never intended to be a workaholic, the IT industry tends to turn you into one, this is the nature of the role. As such, when most executives retire that itch to work remains – it’s a routine they’ve built over the years that they just can’t shake. David has a solution for this which keeps him involved.
“Retirement doesn’t mean sitting around doing nothing all day,” he notes. “I prefer to use the term rewiring, rather than retiring. Rewiring involves arranging other interests for yourself after you retire; it feels unusual waking up in the morning and not dressing up to go to the office in the first few months – I can relate. It essentially involves conditioning yourself for a new way of life and out-of-work model.
“Having a range of outside interests is also important. For example, my wife and I have been involved in wildlife conservation work for the past couple of years, spending time in the country’s national parks.”
As a coach and consultant these days, David explains that no two days are the same. “I could be consulting on one day and mentoring people the next,” he says. “I also travel quite extensively, around three to four months of travel a year for me – mainly locally but also to visit family overseas.”
During his time as CIO, David walked away with a few lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic. “There were a lot of social and mental issues that came to the fore during the pandemic with people working from home and alone. So, finding ways for people to stay connected and to have an avenue to speak out was important.”
Where this came to the fore was reorganising and creating an information management capability across what used to be a disparate organisation into effective IT departments. These could operate across multiple geographies and platforms – consolidating small IT departments into one effective organisation that can deliver services most cost-effectively.
Pre-retirement checklists and joys
Plan, plan, and plan some more, David suggests. According to him, finding other things of interest before you retire is key, and just as vital as planning for it financially.
“Understanding what you like is essential, as well as understanding what fulfils you – something that’s key to figure out inside or outside the working environment,” he says. The big question, he adds, is how are you going to fund that lifestyle? He urges finding a passion that you enjoy, but that also fits in with your post-retirement lifestyle.
When he’s not consulting or mentoring, David unwinds by diving into his long-time passion: photography. “I’ve been into photography for over 20 years now,” he explains. “It’s closely tied to my travels – exploring new places, spending quality time with family and capturing those priceless life moments through a lens.”
Over the years, his choice of subjects has evolved. What began with photographing birds gradually shifted to birds in flight, and eventually to the intricate challenge of capturing dragonflies in motion.
It’s all about keeping your mind interested and engaged in everything around you, having goals you can still achieve and people and communities you can serve. Then you are rewired for a new phase of life!
