Keren | Lessons from the Frontlines | Buch | 978-1-394-39538-5 | www.sack.de

Buch, Englisch, 288 Seiten

Keren

Lessons from the Frontlines

Insights from a Career in Cybersecurity
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-394-39538-5
Verlag: Wiley

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.

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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



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