For cybersecurity professionals, nothing builds character like a high-stakes security incident.
Cybersecurity pros are increasingly putting their trust in leaders with security mishaps under their belts. According to a May ISC2 research report, 76% of cybersecurity professionals either somewhat or strongly agree that a leader’s credibility increases when they have previously been through a “real, high-profile security incident.” The findings are based on an April survey that queried close to 800 cybersecurity professionals.
It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. The recent research hints at a drift away from the stigma surrounding cybersecurity leaders whose organizations are successfully hit by cyberattacks. Just a year ago, a Sophos report found that 25% of leadership teams were replaced following ransomware attacks. IT Brew has reported on some of the challenges security leaders face following a cyber-calamity.
“Businesses are really cognizant of how much impact an incident can have, and therefore want trusted leaders that have experience in incident management and dealing with such things,” ISC2 CISO Jon France told IT Brew in an interview.
Trust and believe. Cybersecurity pros shared other traits that help create trust in their leaders: 95% of surveyed professionals ranked cybersecurity leaders’ ability to communicate risk to senior leadership as very important for fostering trust and confidence.
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“Being able to translate technical impact into risk impact into business language is the translation you need to have as a cyber leader because that’s the language of business,” France said.
Another 91% pointed to leaders with a long-term cybersecurity vision as very important for building trust, while 88% named the ability to effectively work with boards to secure budgets.
Trust exercise! A little over one-fifth (21%) of respondents said they had little to no confidence in their current cybersecurity leadership team. Kayne McGladrey, a senior IEEE member, told IT Brew one-on-one conversations can help cyber leaders get a pulse check for how staffers are feeling about them.
“I believe in 360 reviews. I’m not [just] reviewing them, they’re reviewing me at the same time, so that I can be a better manager or leader for them,” McGladrey said. “ I think that that ability to be introspective and to take feedback when you give feedback is really necessary to build and maintain trust.”
For leaders who want to foster trust and confidence with staff, McGladrey said transparency is key: “That’s absolutely necessary to build trust with your staff.”
