Buch, Englisch, 288 Seiten
Insights from a Career in Cybersecurity
Buch, Englisch, 288 Seiten
ISBN: 978-1-394-39538-5
Verlag: Wiley
Transform your approach to cybersecurity leadership with specific, actionable techniques from a 25+ year veteran of the industry
In Lessons from the Frontlines: Insights from a Cybersecurity Career, a 25+ year veteran of cybersecurity leadership, Assaf Keren, delivers an essential new approach to leading cybersecurity teams. Keren combines engaging, real-life stories drawn from decades spent in the industry – including his current role as Chief Security Officer at Qualtrics and former Chief Information Security Officer in PayPal – with hands-on, specific frameworks for implementing effective solutions in an environment that doesn’t tolerate error.
Lessons from the Frontlines goes beyond generic theory and high-level concepts. It dives deep into practical strategies for working cybersecurity professionals, explaining how to develop the personal characteristics you’ll need to succeed, build leadership competencies your teams will expect from you, address your own mental and physical health needs so you can deal with the challenges you’ll face, and apply all these lessons at scale in organizations of any size.
The author walks you through: - How to move from permission-seeking approaches to intent-based action that allows you to execute solutions in dynamic environments in real time
- Strategies for maintaining optimism and a healthy outlook that permits you to endure difficult periods and excel in adversity
- Techniques for building proactive, forward-thinking, and creative solutions that achieve more than reactive and defensive responses to threats
Perfect for practicing and aspiring cybersecurity executives, Lessons from the Frontlines is a must-read strategy guide for all cybersecurity practitioners and professionals interested in rising to – or excelling in – cybersecurity leadership roles.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
Weitere Infos & Material
Acknowledgments xvii
About the Author xix
Introduction 1
Part I Personal Foundations 9
Chapter 1 Curiosity 11
The Foundation of Everything 12
From Military to Information Security 13
The Danger of “Knowing Enough” 14
The Long Road Back to Competence 16
Curiosity in Practice 17
Building Curiosity into Your Teams
and Leadership 20
Questions for Systematic Curiosity 23
The Business Case for Curiosity 24
Questions for Reflection 25
Moving Forward 25
Chapter 2 Grit 27
From Limitation to Possibility 28
Grit vs. Stubbornness 29
Building Grit from Difficult Feedback 30
Grit in High-Pressure Security Situations 31
Building Grit in Security Teams 32
The Physical Dimension of Grit 32
Recognizing Walls in Others 34
The Role of Support Systems 35
The Compound Effect of Grit 36
Questions for Building Personal Grit 37
Moving Forward 38
Chapter 3 Optimism 41
Communicating with Realistic Hope 43
Optimism in Action: Leadership
During Crisis 43
Optimism as Strategic Thinking 45
Building Optimistic Security Teams 46
The Business Case for Optimism 48
Practical Optimism 49
Moving Forward 50
Part II Core Leadership Competencies 51
Chapter 4 Execution 53
The Shift to Intent-Based Leadership 55
From Permission to Communication 56
Building Intent-Based Teams 57
Competency-Based Autonomy 57
Decision Rights and Organizational
Accountability 58
Avoiding the Leadership Bottleneck 59
Accountability Without Micromanagement 60
Two-Way Doors vs. One-Way Doors
in Security 61
Security-Specific Decision Framework 63
Execution in Security Operations 63
Learning from Execution Failures 64
Building Decision-Making Capability 65
Questions for Reflection 65
Moving Forward 66
Chapter 5 Change Management 67
Change as Leadership Competency 69
The Human Element of Change Resistance 70
Transparency and Candor in Change
Communication 71
Balancing Honesty with Motivation 73
Building Change-Ready Security Teams 74
Managing the Pace and Scope
of Security Change 75
The Art of the Possible 76
Change Management in Security Context 78
Leading Through Uncertainty 79
Questions for Reflection 80
Moving Forward 80
Chapter 6 Business and Finance Acumen 83
The Business Function Imperative 84
Learning from Business-Savvy
Security Leaders 85
Three Questions That Define Business
Understanding 86
Financial Frameworks for Security Decisions 89
A Comprehensive Framework for Security
Investment Planning 90
Beyond the Basics: What Security
Leaders Need to Know 99
Balancing Protection and Enablement 100
Risk in Business Context 100
Speaking the Language of Business 101
The Stock Price Philosophy 102
Building Business Relationships 102
Questions for Reflection 103
Moving Forward 103
Chapter 7 Diplomacy 105
The Challenge of First Impressions 106
Reading the Room 107
Understanding Motivations and Concerns 108
Navigating Organizational Dynamics 109
The Power of Non-Transactional
Relationships 110
Crisis as Relationship Catalyst 111
Beyond Relationship Building 112
Building Security Champions 113
Adapting Diplomatic Style Across
Cultures and Contexts 114
When Not to Execute: The Importance
of Alignment 116
The Execution Trap 117
The “Clear Is Kind” Principle 118
Execution Requires Aligned Intent 118
When to Walk Away 119
Lessons for Organizational Execution 120
Questions for Reflection 122
Moving Forward 122
Chapter 8 State Reality, Inspire Hope 125
The Framework That Changed Everything 126
State Reality: The Foundation of Trust 127
Inspire Hope: The Path Forward 130
Getting the Right People in the Room 132
Practical Applications Across Security
Leadership 135
The Mindset Shift: From Problem
Identifier to Solution Builder 136
Building the Skills for Balanced
Communication 137
When Hope Requires Long-Term
Perspective 138
Questions for Reflection 139
Moving Forward 139
Part III The Human Side of Leadership 141
Chapter 9 Acknowledging Mental Challenges 143
The Control Trap 144
The Human Cost 145
Learning to Recognize the Signs 146
The Leadership Style Connection 147
The Hidden Costs of Security Leadership 148
Building Sustainable Security Leadership 149
Creating Psychologically Safe
Security Teams 150
Building Inclusive Security Teams 150
Culture Add vs. Culture Fit 151
The Role of Support Systems 153
Warning Signs of Burnout for Security
Leaders 153
Intervention and Recovery 154
Questions for Reflection 155
Moving Forward 155
Chapter 10 Self-Help Strategies 157
The Power of Leadership Vulnerability 160
Building Personal Resilience Systems 160
Managing PTSD in a High-Pressure
Leadership Role 162
Leading Through Crisis: Pandemic-Related
Lessons in Vulnerability 163
Creating Organizational Support Systems 166
Practical Daily and Weekly Strategies 166
Recovery from High-Stress Periods 168
Professional Help and When to Seek It 169
Building Industry-Wide Change 170
Questions for Reflection 171
Moving Forward 171
Chapter 11 Building a Supportive Community
of Mentors and Peers 173
Common Challenges in Emerging
Security Leaders 174
The Power of True Mentorship 175
Industry Communities and Professional
Development 181
Maintaining Relationships Over Time 183
The Importance of Professional
Support Systems 183
Creating Organizational Cultures That
Support Mental Health 185
The Mental Challenge When Everything
Depends on You 185
Learning to Separate Identity
from Outcomes 189
Building Mental Resilience Through
Diverse Experience 190
Questions for Reflection 191
Moving Forward 192
Part IV Strategic Leadership 195
Chapter 12 Leading from the Front 197
What “Leading from the Front” Actually
Means 199
The Evolution Across Leadership Levels 200
The SOC Transformation: Leading
Through Massive Change 202
The Principle of “Experiences Over Scope” 204
Leading Leaders: The Meta-Challenge 205
The Strategic vs. Tactical Balance 206
Building Organizational Resilience 208
Questions for Reflection 209
Moving Forward 210
Chapter 13 Product Thinking in Security 211
The Services vs. Product Mindset 212
Learning Product Management at Scale 213
Applying Product Thinking to Internal
Security 214
The User Experience Imperative 217
Product Thinking and Security Strategy 219
The Business Case for Product-Driven
Security 224
Challenges of Product Thinking in Security 225
Building Product-Thinking Security Teams 226
Product Thinking and Vendor Relationships 227
Questions for Reflection 227
Moving Forward 228
Afterword 231
The Leaders We Need 232
The Journey Continues 232
What I Hope for You 233
Your Next Steps 233
A Personal Note 235
Appendix 237
Case Study—Applying the Security
Leadership Framework to Real-World AI
Challenges 237
The Moment of AI Acceleration 238
Applying the Curiosity Framework 238
Demonstrating Grit Through Challenge 240
Maintaining Optimism in an AI World 241
The Hope Framework 242
Executing Without Permission 243
Managing Change at AI Speed 245
Business Acumen in the AI Era 246
Diplomacy and Relationship Building 248
Mental Health and AI Acceleration 249
Results and Lessons Learned 252
Questions for Your AI Journey 253
Moving Forward 253
Index 255
