“Delulu is the Solulu!” was a phrase I heard repeatedly during a month-long family holiday in Uttarakhand. My children and their Gen Z friends used it often, and like many from my generation, I initially wondered what it meant.
They explained that the internet slang refers to believing in possibilities. At first, I dismissed it as another passing expression. But reflecting on my own journey, I found an unexpected leadership lesson in those words.
Every CIO eventually encounters a transition triggered by restructuring, strategic realignment, mergers, or simply the end of one chapter. The market calls it a career gap. I call it a leadership sabbatical — a period that, approached intentionally, can become a productive investment.
The Identity we Don’t Discuss
For more than three decades, my identity was closely tied to the organisations I served. My calendar revolved around transformation programmes, ERP implementations, cybersecurity reviews, board meetings, vendor negotiations, budgets, AI initiatives and business strategy.
Then, suddenly, there were no meetings, dashboards, or escalation calls. There was only silence. Initially unfamiliar, it soon became valuable — space to think, something today’s executives rarely have.
My first instinct was to update my résumé and look for the next role. But after a few weeks, I changed my approach. Instead of asking, “Which company should I join next?” I began asking, “Who do I want to become before I join my next company?”
That question changed everything. I stopped treating the period as unemployment and began seeing it as an executive development programme designed by life itself.
Returning to the Mountains
The month in Uttarakhand became much more than a holiday. It became therapy — no urgency to check emails or respond before someone else did. Instead, long walks with family, unhurried conversations, and evenings when the biggest decision was where to have tea.
Leadership without recovery eventually becomes exhaustion. The month reminded me that families don’t remember our quarterly reviews. They remember whether we were present. Your family deserves the best version of you — not merely the version left after work.
Health and Learning
Organizations spend millions protecting digital assets, while many executives neglect their most valuable one — themselves. I decided to reverse years of travel and irregular routines through better food, more movement, and improved sleep. No executive can consistently make sound decisions while operating on poor health. The board may never ask about your fitness. Your body eventually will.
I also realized that experience alone wouldn’t prepare me for the next decade. Curiosity would. AI is moving from experimentation to execution, agentic AI is redefining automation, and cybersecurity has become a board-level discussion. I enrolled in AI learning programs, attended conferences, and listened more than I spoke. One realization stood out: the future CIO will spend less time explaining technology and more time explaining the business outcomes it creates.
Beyond Technology
This transition gave me the opportunity to read beyond technology — particularly history and geopolitics related to Israel and the Middle East, regions where I spent significant years of my professional life. Their resilience and long-term strategic thinking fascinated me. Leadership lessons aren’t found only in management books; they live in history and cultures that have learned to thrive amid uncertainty.
I also began drafting a book based on my experiences of digital transformation, failures, and leadership lessons. Writing slows the mind and converts memory into wisdom. Speaking to engineering students in Dehradun was equally rewarding — their questions about AI, careers, and purpose reminded me that leadership is also about building people.
The CIO of Tomorrow
If I step into another CIO role, I’ll spend more time understanding business strategy before discussing technology, make AI literacy a leadership agenda, and measure technology investments by business value rather than technical completion.
Yesterday, CIOs managed infrastructure. Today, they drive digital transformation. Tomorrow, they’ll orchestrate intelligent enterprises powered by AI and trusted data. Boards expect CIOs to shape strategy, manage risk, and influence culture. The next generation won’t be remembered only for the systems they implemented — but for the businesses they transformed.
My “Solulu”
If you find yourself between leadership roles, resist viewing it as lost time. Invest in your health, reconnect with family, read beyond your profession, and mentor young professionals.
The next role will come. The real question is: will you return as the same leader who left — or as a better one?
“Delulu is the Solulu” reminds me that optimism isn’t about denying reality. It’s about choosing possibility over self-doubt. The pause between two roles was never the end of my story. It was the chapter that helped me rediscover why I became a leader in the first place.
