Nobody enjoys losing a top performer. As a leader, it can be a heavy blow, particularly when the person is a critical player on your team. When faced with these tough goodbyes, we might ask ourselves – “What could I have done differently? Is there a chance they might stay?” Over the course of my …
Tough Goodbyes: Five Questions to a Resigning Employee Read More »
We all chase success, often associating it with relentless work and perpetual busyness. But in doing so, we might find ourselves on the cusp of burnout, a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion. The book “Peak Performance” sheds light on this very conundrum, offering insights into sustainable high performance. One of the book’s vital …
Peak Performance: Burnout and Sustainable Success Read More »
Introduction Leadership intricately weaves with the dynamics of power when influencing teams, partner departments, the organization, and even customers, especially in Security Engineering. The Manager Tools podcasts introduced me to this paradigm of role power, highlighting the research by French and Raven on power types. Just as Aunt May wisely stated, “With great power comes …
Role Power and Other Tools for Security Engineering Management Read More »
Every savvy business leader knows the importance of setting and managing objectives for their teams. Many have adopted Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives (MBOs) strategy to align their team’s goals with those of the organization. In the world of cybersecurity, however, the rapidly evolving threat landscape calls for a more dynamic approach to managing progress …
Introduction: You’ve reached that crossroad in your career – senior engineer. It’s a proud moment, and yet, one with its fair share of uncertainty. The fork in the road is well-documented: a choice between progressing into management or continuing to hone your skills as an individual contributor. For a long time, the career path for …
Staff Engineer: A Deep Dive into Leadership Beyond Management Read More »
Introduction As a security engineering leader with over twenty years of experience in the IT and security space, I’ve encountered numerous challenges in managing teams. From building corporate security and detection programs to leading Security Operations Centers, I’ve seen a fair share of dysfunction in teams. It’s important to acknowledge that team dysfunctions aren’t exclusive …
Five Dysfunctions of a Team helps Mature Security Engineering Read More »
In the realm of Information Technology, few books have made as profound an impact as Gene Kim’s “The Phoenix Project.” (Book Link) This novel, draped in the garb of a corporate thriller, introduces us to an IT manager, Bill, who is thrust into the chaotic world of a project – code-named Phoenix – on the …
The Phoenix Project changed how I lead Security Engineering Read More »
As someone who has been a people leader for about 10 years and has worked in IT and security for over 20, I’ve had the privilege of leading diverse teams across different industries – from small startups to Fortune 50 companies and state institutions. Through these varied experiences, I have learnt that taking on an …
Navigating New Leadership: 5 Questions to Ask When Taking Over an Existing Team Read More »
