technologists, 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 tasks and be the captain of the ship
providing confidence and fostering a sense
of community.
With that being said, domain-specific
expertise is still important. In leading people
with technical skills, they need to know
that you have an understanding of the
concepts before they will accept your vision
and approach. In addition to evolving your
leadership capabilities, you must dedicate
attention to refining your technical skills.
Leaders aren’t simply created already
fully formed. They are forged through
deep experience and have two overruling
characteristics: they are consistently selfaware,
and always looking to improve their
ability to lead well.
For technologists looking to become stronger
leaders, or non-technologists seeking to
“
KEEPING YOUR WORKFORCE TRAINED
ON CURRENT AND CUTTING-EDGE
TECHNOLOGIES AND DEVELOPMENTS
WILL ENSURE THE READINESS OF
YOUR TEAM.
lead better in cybersecurity, here are the
five widely applicable principles that have
guided me. It’s important to keep these in
mind when you are handed a group of highperformers
waiting to be led.
1. Training and development: Upskill
your workforce
The cybersecurity industry will continue
to evolve at a rapid pace. Keeping your
workforce trained on current and cuttingedge
technologies and developments
will ensure the readiness of your team
and the individuals who might be ready
to take on a wide variety of challenges
outside of your team.
2. Trust and respect: Bringing your team
into the fold
Extraordinary talent is easily recognised
by strong leaders. These individuals are
normally highly regarded by others and
quickly prove their value to the team.
Once these professionals are identified,
you can share your overarching strategy
and vision with them and then let them
run with it. These individuals rarely need
intervention and direction. Once imbued
with the strategic vision of the leader,
they typically forge ahead and in return,
bring a lot of value to the team.
Leaders can get hung up on legacy
methods, but they shouldn’t. The
worst thing you can do is impose your
methods on someone else. You’ve
achieved some level of success because
your prior leaders trusted you to do what
was needed to succeed. More often than
not, you did just that. Don’t attempt to
corral and stifle your employees. They
are talented and capable. Their success
will bring light and often a different
perspective to the team’s vision.
3. Perspective: Diversify your team
Diversity and inclusion is a hot topic.
There has been countless studies and
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