decrypting myths
Five leadership maxims for today ’ s cybersecurity leaders
Curating a highly skilled , capable and resilient workforce is the key to success when leading a team . M . K . Palmore ,
VP , Field Chief Security Officer for Palo Alto Networks , discusses five ways to become a strong leader of today . eadership is at the
L centre of every success and failure in business . At a time of crisis , the critical strengths of leaders , like compassion and agility , are pushed front and centre . Some organisations will thrive while others will struggle with the challenges that change brings , and much of it is based on the choices and actions of leaders .
It ’ s stating the obvious that every organisation needs strong leaders , particularly when the going gets tough . It ’ s important to keep developing your own skills as a leader , as well as cultivating the next generation of leaders from the pool of talent available .
So , where to look for leadership material ?
In cybersecurity , it ’ s not unusual for technologists to lead teams . I have been lucky to work for technologists that not only have a good perspective on leadership , but can practice what they preach .
However , the more shared stereotype is that technologists understand technology but not people . The common thought is that they tend to be technically proficient but lack the social and emotional skills required for effective leadership , which presents a challenge in cybersecurity .
As an industry that requires specific knowledge and deep expertise , technologists are the obvious choice when it comes to leadership . For nontechnologists , cybersecurity might seem intimidating and they can feel overrun by the complexity of constant technological advances .
But here ’ s the funny thing about leadership , if you give me a skilled leader I could put them in charge of almost any situation and the outcome would likely be promising . A skilled leader knows how to motivate a team , inspire people , solve problems , delegate www . intelligentciso . com | Issue 31
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