By Nina Midgley, Head of Public Sector at Nimble Approach
I have spent most of my professional life working in digital, while apologising for not being a techie.
I’d say it casually. Almost automatically. As if I needed to explain myself before anyone caught me out. But what did I even mean by that? And why was I apologising like I had no value to add?
I think it’s really common for people to treat ‘technical’ and ‘human’ as separate worlds, and categorise themselves into one or the other. Looking back, I’ve realised my ‘quiet apology’ was actually a misunderstanding of my own value. In the gaps where technology meets people, the skills I once dismissed as ‘soft’ are actually the most technical tools I have.
I Connect With Humans
I once ran a GoFundMe to buy art supplies so I could spend Christmas in a homeless shelter running craft workshops. Simply because I thought I could create some joy by sharing something I love. And because I had an urge to humanise an often overlooked segment of my community, listen to their stories, and educate myself. There was no KPI. No outcome to measure. Just human connection.
That instinct – to connect, to care, to create meaning, to learn – is not separate from my work. It is my work.
In digital transformation, genuine connection is what drives trust and adoption. Whenever the human element is given due care, the technology always lands with impact.
I Am a Storyteller
I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember. I recently entered a writing competition and submitted the first chapter of a book…I didn’t win. Probably an admin error.
Stories are an ancient tool, engrained in our biologies and culture as a way to understand our world, and share knowledge. Nothing gives me more joy than watching someone open up to an idea because I’ve been able to tell a story or turn a complex concept into a metaphor that resonates with them. When confusion softens into curiosity and hesitation turns into buy-in, that’s where transformation happens.
In digital environments, storytelling can be a powerful way to gain buy-in, speed up decision making, break down pockets of resistance, or quell conflict. In highly regulated environments such as the public sector, they can be invaluable tools for removing blockers so action can resume.
I Am a Strategist
For a long time, strategy felt like a fancy word. High-level. Intimidating. Something other people did. But really, strategy is just a plan.
When I was a kid, I played chess with my dad. He taught me to think three steps ahead: If I do this, what happens next? And then what? That way of thinking stuck. Now, I’m good at looking at a puzzle from every angle and helping others do the same.
In digital environments, strategists help teams anticipate consequences, join dots between seemingly unrelated people or concepts, and move with intention towards an outcome. It means we can avoid expensive rework, deliver truly innovative solutions, and find the shortest time to value for our clients.
That’s not abstract or fluffy.
That’s technical thinking.
I See Clarity Where Others See Complexity
I have a knack for organising chaos. In fact, I really love it. In another life, I’d organise people’s homes for a living.
For a long time, I assumed everyone could do this. When my ideas weren’t already on the table, I assumed it was because they were silly or wrong. It took me years to realise that I was seeing clarity others weren’t.
Now, I speak up, and it’s often the clarity people were grasping for but hadn’t quite yet been able to articulate.
Digital delivery is complex. There is almost always a point where it feels like we can’t see the wood for the trees. Teams can get trapped in costly loops of debate and stalemates, in the worst case scenarios it starts eroding team morale and collaboration. ‘Clarity Bringers’ calm the room, recentre the conversation, keep momentum moving forward, and help team members lift their attention from the weeds to do their best problem-solving.
I Am an Empath
I can feel a shift in energy in a room. A subtle tightening. A moment of discomfort before it has words.
It’s difficult to give these instincts weight in a professional context, for fear of being too ‘emotional,’ or ‘unprofessional.’ So I’ve spent years pushing feelings down, and dismissing my spidey senses. Now I deploy them as one of my most powerful tools.
Sometimes it looks like saying, ‘Can we pause for a second? I felt the energy shift – does this direction feel right for everyone?’ That one question can save weeks of misalignment, or create the opportunity for someone to express a concern. Sometimes it looks like modeling vulnerability and asking silly questions, inviting others into the conversation.
In digital environments, making space for empaths means you have powerful problem detectors at work, scanning your teams and stakeholders for bumps in the road. Surfacing instability, risks, and dissatisfactions early means people feel heard, and showstopping confrontations aren’t discovered when it’s too late.
So What?
These skills – human connection, storytelling, strategy, dot-connecting, clarity, empathy – aren’t adjacent to technology. They’re foundational to it. They’re how teams align, how decisions get made, how resistance softens, and how complex systems become usable in the real world.
When technology struggles, it’s rarely because the tools are wrong. More often, it’s because human work hasn’t been given the same weight as technical work.
Maybe being a “techie” isn’t about how close you sit to the code. Maybe it’s about whether the technology you help shape actually works for the people it’s meant to serve.
That’s a version of “technical” I’m confident to own and will stop apologising for.
About the Author
Nina Midgley De-Jong has over 18 years’ experience working across digital agencies and consultancies, specialising in product, data, service design and GDS compliant digital delivery. Her career has focused on helping public sector and public-interest organisations design and deliver services that are practical, inclusive and user-centred.
She has led senior engagements supporting UK and European government teams, regulators and charities to improve how citizens interact with digital services. Her work spans discovery, design and delivery, with a strong emphasis on outcomes, governance and accessibility.
