Andy ITGuy – Information Security Blog

It seems that every day there is more bad news of some sort or another that affects the economy, jobs, or some other aspect of our life. Once this all plays out things will look quite a bit different than they do now. Companies that we trusted and relied on will be gone along with the support that they provided for some of our technologies. Sure someone will step in a pick up some of the slack but there will still be a noticeable void in many of these. For some the demise of these companies will have a greater impact because they will lose their job or have their income reduced by quiet a bit due to shortened hours, mandatory furloughs, reduction in wages, etc…

Things will also look differently within your own company, department and team. Even if everyone survives in tact there are probably going to be noticeable changes. Peoples attitudes will change. They will become more suspicious of others and look for ways to jockey themselves into a better position with the boss. They may start keeping detailed notes of everything that happens so they can cover their actions and prove their value. They may develop a bad attitude towards management or the company in general and that will affect how they act. Obviously during this time spending will likely decrease and you will have to make do with what you have. You may have to make things do things that they weren’t intended to do or put in solutions that you wouldn’t put in otherwise.

All of this will have implications on the future of your team and company security. These will also give you a chance to step up and make some real strides towards actually improving the quality of the security program. This will give you a chance to show your leadership skills and potential.

Leadership is what is desperately needed in the information security community. Leadership at the local level and across the globe. I’m not talking about standards bodies or even organizations such as ISC2, ISACA, ISSA. What I am referring to is individuals and small groups who are willing to step up and lead in making changes to how things are done. People who are willing to challenge the status quo and quit following the crowd and adopting “best practices” in every situation. People who are willing to take a hard look at what their company is doing and standing up to those who want to continue doing the minimum and move up to a level of security that actually secures the data and not just meets compliance.

We need to challenge those that we work with to  quit just going through the motions. Encourage them to start thinking about problems in different ways instead of applying the same ole fix to a problem. Encourage them to get outside their box and read content that will challenge them. Encourage them to learn the business and work with the users and business units to solve problems instead of saying “no” or applying a solution that meets their basic need but makes their job more difficult.

We need people who have a name and status in the community to speak up and start really challenging the rest of us. Quit spewing out the same ole garb and actually start talking about things that will make a real difference. Quit touting compliance and start talking security. Quit wasting our time with meaningless data and stats and start giving us real action items. I’ve noticed over the past year or so that most everyone is saying the same thing and it’s that same thing that has been told to us for years. Thankfully there are a handful of individuals who are stepping out of the norm and are giving us real things to think about we just need more of them.

The days ahead will require all of us to step up our game or get passed by. Some of those who get passed by are actually people who are some of the best at what they do because they won’t adapt to the changes needed. Some of those who are currently unknown will become some of the global leaders in the future because they do adapt and start leading others locally and building something that will make a difference.

One of my favorite topics to read about is leadership. I like to think of myself as a leader and hope that what I do is looked on by others as leading. I try to apply the principles of leadership in all that I do. Whether or not my official position is a leadership position or not doesn’t matter I still strive to be a leader.

In my opinion the security industry is in need of leadership. It is a industry that is widely varied in scope and objective. You have many different disciplines that often doesn’t communicate with each other and often even openly criticizes or looks down on each other. If we are all fighting against a common enemy then why can’t and don’t we work together. Why should we each fight our own battles also fight each other?

Obviously leadership in an industry that is so varied and that is populated by people from all over the world, many of who aren’t even “officially” in the industry, and many of who are rebels by nature is not an easy task. There won’t be any one person who rises up and claims the title of “Security Leader of the World”. What we need is for those of us in Security to step up to the plate and lead where we are.

Leadership isn’t a position it’s a life style. It’s doing what you can, when you can, as you can. It doesn’t require that you be the Team Leader, Manger, or VP. You can lead from where you are by simply doing what needs to be done. By being an example of how a security professional does his job we lead others. I’m not talking about all of the day to day tasks that we do so much as the way that we do what we do. It’s the attitude that we have as we do our day to day duties. It’s how we react when a situation arises that requires us to step up a notch from our daily responsibilities.

We need to remember that leading takes place where we are if we will remember some basic ideas. Leaders have the following characteristics and they use them in their everyday life both at work and elsewhere.
The following is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell’s free monthly e-newsletter ‘Leadership Wired’ available at www.injoy.com.

1. Adaptability – Quickly adjusts to change.

   Leaders in the middle may not be the first to know, but they are often the ones in charge of implementation. Adaptable managers in the middle are willing to embrace a change operationally even if they are not yet ready to do so emotionally.

2. Discernment – Understands the real issues.

   Good leaders cut through the clutter to see the real issues. A smart person believes only half of what he hears, but a truly smart person knows which half to believe.

3. Security – Finds identity in self, not position.

   Effective 360° leaders are secure enough in who they are to not worry about where they are. Instead of focusing on reaching a position, they focus on reaching their potential.

4. Service – Gains fulfillment in serving everyone.

   A servant leader serves the mission and leads by serving those on mission with him or her. The true measure of leaders is not the number of people who serve them but the number of people they serve.

5. Resourcefulness – Finds creative ways to make things happen.

   Creativity is the joy of not knowing it all. We seldom, if ever, have all the answers, but we always have the imagination to create solutions to our problems.

6. Maturity – Puts the team before self. Nobody who possesses an unrelenting me-first attitude is able to develop much influence with others. A mature leader sees beyond his or her personal vantage point and has the courage to make sacrifices which advance the team.
7. Communication – Links to all levels of the organization. We often think of communication in organizations as being primarily top-down. Leaders at the top cast vision, set direction, reward progress, etc. However, good communication is a 360-degree proposition. In fact, oftentimes the most critical communication comes from leaders identifying problems or solutions at the ground level and sending them up the chain of command.

We are fighting a never ending battle that requires all of us to lead from where we are. So each of us needs to take steps to improve our leadership skills and become the best leader that we can be. Don’t wait for a position of leadership make your current position a leadership position.

_uacct = “UA-1509762-1″;
urchinTracker();