Last week on Super Cyber Friday, we talked about building leadership skills. David Spark hosted the discussion, joined by Alexandra Landegger, executive director and CISO at Collins Aerospace, and Jodie Lash, cybersecurity senior director at FanDuel. Cybersecurity as a field has particular challenges with building leadership. Often individuals move up the ranks due to their technical prowess, only to get a promotion to positions where that proficiency isn’t as critical. Our chat room brought up the idea of the Peter Principle for a reason. Even if that’s overstating the case, you still need to actively develop leadership skills so you don’t feel like you’ve risen to a level of incompetence.
Luckily we had a lot of great ideas about leadership from our guests and chatroom.
Delegate Authority, Sell the Mission
James Sparenberg encapsulates the essence of true leadership: “Leaders do, Administrators tell.” There’s a big difference between simply assigning tasks and leading by example. Sparenberg expands on this, advising leaders to “Sell the dream, make it a part of the team’s DNA. Pushing tasks and due dates just makes people feel burdened.” Leaders who inspire by helping their team see the bigger picture foster a sense of ownership and purpose that goes beyond merely completing tasks.
Building a successful team is not just about delegating tasks, but about encouraging responsibility and growth. Duane Gran aptly says, “Stop delegating tasks and start delegating authority. You will be surprised how people rise to the challenge when you trust them.” Empowering your team to take ownership of their work, not just follow instructions, helps them develop as leaders themselves.
Leadership development can also be a way to empower others and build better representation. “Once I walk through the door, I help hold it open for the next one behind me. And that’s a big piece as well when it comes to seeing more representation, seeing more women. Just making sure that now that I’ve gotten to this stage, I’m using it the right way for others,” said Jodie Lash.
Surround Yourself with the Right People
Effective leadership also involves humility and recognizing the strengths of those around you. Larry Rosen suggests a key mindset for leaders: “Always assume that your team may be smarter than you are in their area of expertise.” Leaders don’t need to have all the answers, but they must facilitate an environment where each team member’s strengths shine.
“Find peers that complement your skill set. To do that, you’ve got to know your own limits. What are the things you’re good at? What are the things you’re bad at? What are the things you love doing? What are the things you hate doing? Find people that compliment your skillset because together you will go a whole lot farther, a whole lot faster.” Alexandra Landegger reminded us that a leader doesn’t need to be all things to all people. You can move a lot faster as a leader and in your career by finding people who fill your gaps.
Be a Leader Even When Not in Leadership
Andrew Aken offers a holistic approach to leadership: “Utilize a collaborative servant leadership style with active listening and empathy.” In cybersecurity, where technical expertise often dominates, it’s easy to overlook the human side of leadership. Servant leadership emphasizes supporting the team and understanding their needs to bring out their best.
Aken also stresses that leadership is not confined to job titles: “Even if you’re not a Leader, be a Leader, and you’ll become a Leader. Even if you’re not a teacher, be a teacher. Be a mentor. Be passionate.” This mindset encourages cybersecurity professionals at any stage of their career to take the initiative, regardless of formal titles or positions.
Aman Sood provides another powerful lesson in prioritizing focus: “Put aside the ‘To Do’ list, instead make a ‘Do NOT’ list, and start crossing off the stuff you should NOT be doing.” Leaders can easily become bogged down with daily tasks. Sood’s advice encourages focus on what truly matters, which frees up time and energy for strategic decisions that benefit the team. He adds, “Pursue excellence, not success. Don’t chase the aspect of cyber that pays the most – focus on the domains you find most interesting, and execute those brilliantly.”
Peter Geday emphasizes the importance of process over outcome: “Focus on the process and continuously improve what is in your control. Monitor the external drivers of the process, and help your team build discipline for the tasks they can control.” Leaders need to guide their teams to work on what they can influence while being able to communicate when external factors come into play—ensuring the team isn’t unfairly blamed when things go awry.
You can watch the replay of our Super Cyber Friday on “Hacking Leadership Skills” here.
Our chat room also gave us some great reading suggestions on leadership during the show:
- 1% Leadership: Master the Small, Daily Improvements that Set Great Leaders Apart by Andy Ellis
- Leading Without Authority by Keith Ferrazzi
- “The Eisenhower Matrix” by Haavard Krislok
- Andrew Aken’s IT & Cybersecurity Leadership newsletter