I recently had the honor to help provide a strong reference for a person who worked for me as a Cyber Analyst. She got the Senior position she was going for but was just a little worried about what they should do in order to lead a team and be a good leader. Here is what I related to this extremely competent future Cybersecurity leader.
Hi:
First and foremost – you are going to do great in your new role. I encourage you to model your leadership style after the following rule(s):
Use the leadership model of:
Am I doing the right thing
Am I doing it for the right reason
Am I doing it at the right time
Am I doing it in the right way
This is on the back of the Challenge Coin I had made up for our UC team.
Always act with Integrity and walk your talk. You don’t always need to be right but you always need to be honest with the people you lead.
Remember that “We are smarter than Me” and foster healthy discussion and debate on topics. Try to pull ideas and suggestions from those you lead who are more on the quiet side. Don’t let aggressive Type A personalities (like me) dominate the conversation.
When coming out of a meeting get your team members used to doing a 5 minute feedback session (what did we do right, wrong, what should we (or I) have done differently, etc. Remember – Feedback is a gift.
Training of your people needs to be a priority and always remember to help others be Greater Than Yourself. There is enough success out there for everyone, help grow your people so that they can be your boss some day and if that did happen they would be a good boss to work for.
Don’t hesitate to email if you have specific questions. Have confidence, breath deep and believe in yourself – you got this!
kevinlmclaughlin 