Understanding the Language of Technology is the Way Forward

Therefore going “digital”has meant a focus on implementing systems to replace manual processes to create an end-to-end data “backbone”, from which to digitize the business.

Finally, with tight restrictions on budget and resources it has been a challenge to measure the relative value of vastly different technology investments, especially with significant intangible or risk reduction benefits. Foundational systems that don’t produce direct business benefits but are nevertheless key precursors to digital solutions has required a willingness for executive leaders to understand the complex relationships between data, people, technology systems and business outcomes.

With the rapid pace of technological advancements, how to stay informed about emerging technologies and assess their potential impact?

Listening to podcasts is a key way in which I learn, helped by a long commute to work! I usually select American podcasts as NZ tends to lag the United States in terms of uptake of technologies (by a few months or years depending on the technology domain) so it is really useful to hear about the problems of the next stage of our evolution – with the aim of trying to avoid the pitfalls, if possible! I also regularly attend technology and food and manufacturing industry conferences and read relevant publications. And while I don’t want to encourage spamming, I do read the best of the material that I get sent from companies with innovative ideas! I’m also naturally curious and ask lots of questions – I get to sit next to people from different disciplines in our hot-desking situation so I try to learn something from everyone. I also rely on a small group of specialist technology partners to provide expertise, knowledge and critical thinking on our key challenges.

What advice would you give to young professionals who are interested in pursuing a career in technology, and what qualities do you think are essential for success in this field?

I regularly speak at events to encourage people to start technology careers, especially women and these are the key points I regularly makeat these presentations….

1• A key enabler to a technology career is knowing the language of technology. Luckily you can use an AI Chatbot to search anything on the internet or listen to podcasts to see how others talk about technology to learn. And once you know some key terms used in the industry, it is much less intimidating to then ask questions and discuss ideas with others.

2• Do a short-course. I’ve advised lots of people who have shown interest in a tech career to take a 6 month, entry level, general IT skills course. From there, try to figure out what field of technology you are most interested in. Networking engineers have very different skills from cloud engineers, back end programming skills are different to front end. And don’t worry if the engineering stuff doesn’t suit, roles such as business analyst, project manager, tester, trainer and change manager are just as important - I have lots of stories about brilliant technology that failed to deliver value due to poor uptake by business users!

3• Focus on understanding the business context. Ask questions and learn about whatever the primary business is of your organization as technology is simply an enabler of the business. Who is the customer? What matters to them? What are the core products and services and what supporting information drives extra value? How does technology fit into the big picture?

In terms of qualities, I like the concept of “T shaped” people. By this I mean people with at least one very deep (probably technical or consulting) skillset, but balanced out by a broad range of other skills in non-technology domains such as sales, marketing, accounting and industry sectors. Don’t be afraid to change jobs every couple of years to get these skills if you need to, but also be careful of your brand and reputation – treat your colleagues, partners and organizations well and aim to build a long list of people who will refer you!

And finally, as the field of technology has such a huge impact in the world, I want to thank the APAC CIOoutlook team for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the conversation!