Tag: cybersecurity talent

“Unlocking Leadership Excellence: One Cybersecurity Executive’s Guide to Essential Reads for Aspiring Team Leaders”

“In the pursuit of leadership excellence, the wisdom gleaned from the works of esteemed authors can serve as a guiding beacon, empowering aspiring team leaders to navigate the complexities of the cybersecurity landscape with confidence, agility, and foresight.” – Kevin Lynn McLaughlin, PhD

As a cybersecurity executive, I’m frequently asked what books aspiring team leaders should read to enhance their leadership skills and elevate their teams. In response to these inquiries, I’ve decided to share my thoughts on the most insightful and transformative works in the realm of leadership and management through this blog post. These literary gems, penned by renowned authors such as Blanchard, Covey, Greene, Senn Delaney, Maxwell, Rath, Collins, and others, offer invaluable wisdom that can be applied to hone our leadership abilities and foster high-performing teams in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

In a time where fast-paced technological advancements and growing competition constantly push organizations to adapt, the pursuit of maintaining high-performing teams has become a crucial mission for leaders at all levels. The wealth of leadership and management wisdom accumulated over the years, such as the works by Blanchard, Covey, Delaney, Greene, Maxwell, Rath, Collins, and others, offers valuable insights that can be utilized to improve our leadership abilities. As cybersecurity executives and experts, it’s essential for us to explore the ideas and principles presented in these books, incorporate the core aspects of leadership, and translate this knowledge into practical strategies that will nurture, empower, and transform our team members into a unified, high-performing group that excels in their mission.


The foundation of effective leadership, as explained in the One Minute Manager series, lies in striking the right balance between clear communication, motivation, and empowerment. Throughout the different iterations of Blanchard’s work, he emphasizes the need for setting expectations, offering timely feedback, fostering autonomy, and acknowledging the impact of praise. Consequently, leaders must be adept at articulating goals and expectations while also cultivating a culture that inspires team members to assume responsibility for their tasks and outcomes. Along with the One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey, another of Blanchard’s books that teaches how to efficiently concentrate on managing your own responsibilities without adopting everyone else’s, these works offer helpful guidance on shaping the ideal culture and behaviors within your team.Covey’s influential book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, encourages leaders to develop self-awareness, embrace proactive actions, and search for win-win solutions that benefit everyone involved. Building these habits is essential for creating a high-performing team, as it helps leaders demonstrate behaviors that promote teamwork, creativity, and personal development.


Additionally, the ideas presented in Rath’s How Full is Your Bucket emphasize the significance of positive feedback and appreciation, as they play a crucial role in fostering an environment that supports growth and builds commitment. Greene’s influential book, The 48 Laws of Power, offers a more cunning perspective on leadership. While some may argue that the tactics suggested could create a manipulative atmosphere, others believe that using these strategies wisely and ethically can strengthen one’s influence and inspire the team to achieve shared goals.


Blanchard’s High Five, Whale Done, The Secret, and The 4th Secret of the One Minute Manager all praise the values of empowerment, teamwork, trust, and purpose-driven leadership. These works emphasize the need to create an environment where team members feel encouraged to take risks, learn from mistakes, and aim for excellence. By building a culture of psychological safety, leaders can unlock their teams’ hidden potential and lead them to remarkable success.


The Arbinger Institute’s Leadership and Self-Deception offers a fresh perspective on leadership by revealing the harmful effects of self-deception and the importance of adopting an outward mindset. Combining this approach with the principles found in Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Collins’ Good to Great, Johnson’s Who Moved my Cheese, and Farber’s Radical Leap enables leaders to go beyond traditional leadership methods and adopt a transformative approach that fosters growth, adaptability, and resilience.


The insights gained from these literary works provide cybersecurity executives with a comprehensive framework for nurturing high-performing teams. By embracing clear communication, empowerment, collaboration, trust, and growth, leaders can establish a culture that supports talent development, builds loyalty, and achieves success. As leaders in our field, it’s essential for us to continually invest in both our own growth and that of our team members. By applying and adapting the lessons from these leadership books, we can confidently tackle the challenges of the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape with agility and foresight. Additionally, we should recognize the importance of mentorship, as shown in Cottrell’s Monday Morning Mentoring, and commit to fostering a learning environment and ongoing improvement. As each of you progress on your leadership paths, let’s remain dedicated to excellence and draw inspiration from the insights of these esteemed authors to guide our endeavors in building and sustaining high-performing teams. By embracing these principles, we can successfully safeguard the digital realm, gain the confidence of our stakeholders, and leave a legacy within the cybersecurity profession as we foster the growth of exceptional future leaders. So, act now and incorporate these valuable lessons into your leadership practices, and together, we can shape a more secure and promising future for the cybersecurity profession and, more importantly, the talent that works in our profession.

The summary above is from these leadership books:
• The One Minute Manager Blanchard
• The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey Blanchard
• The On-Time, On-Target Manager Blanchard
• The 48 laws of power Greene
• High Five Blanchard
• Whale Done Blanchard
• How Full is Your Bucket Rath
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Covey
• The 4th Secret of the One Minute Manager Blanchard
• 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Maxwell
• Good to Great – * Boring and Dry but Good Collins
• The Secret Blanchard
• Leadership and Self Deception Arbinger Institute
• Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life Blanchard
• Helping People Win at Work Blanchard
• Who Moved my Cheese Johnson
• Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager Blanchard
• Monday Morning Mentoring Cottrell
• Developing the Leader Within You Maxwell
• Radical Leap Farber
• The Human Operating System, Delaney
• The Why Cafe

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8367-5292

Sometimes you need a who, A what, no – a who, oh ok 

It always surprises me when I meet a novice or someone who is new to a field or new to a role and they are embarrassed to ask for help. Even worse is when they are afraid that receiving feedback and being less than perfect is a sign of failure or ineptness. I always just want to say, hey let’s go grab a coffee and talk. And in that talk, I would explain to them that when you are new at something it is unrealistic to expect to know how to do the work, the task, etc. without help or in a perfect way and to think otherwise is putting so much pressure on themselves that I can’t understand how they cope.  

When you are first starting an endeavor, you often need a who. No, not a what – a who. As John Strelecky wrote in his book “The Why Café” we often need a Who, a person who already has the skills and knowledge in an area to help us, if we want to become competent in a new endeavor. But here’s the thing, the same person who will get scuba lessons, take pilot lessons, go to a music teacher, etc. Is the same one that will take a new role in their work career and decide that they need to figure it out on their own because if they don’t folks will think they are not capable or that they are a failure.  

So here is my advice. As a novice or someone who is new to a field or a role, it is perfectly normal to not know everything and need help. In fact, it is crucial to seek guidance and feedback, especially at the beginning of a new endeavor. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek out a “who” – someone who already has the skills and knowledge in the area that you want to become competent in. It is important to recognize that expecting perfection without guidance is unrealistic and can put an enormous amount of pressure on yourself. You may find yourself struggling to cope with the expectations that you have set for yourself. Just like how you wouldn’t try scuba diving without lessons or attempt to fly a plane without first taking pilot lessons, you should not expect to know everything and be able to succeed in a new role or field without seeking help. It is okay to ask questions and learn from others who have more experience. Remember, asking for help is not a sign of failure or ineptness. In fact, seeking feedback and guidance from those with more experience can help you learn and improve much faster than if you were to go at it alone. Don’t let the fear of appearing incompetent prevent you from seeking the help you need to succeed.  

So, go ahead and ask for that coffee meeting with a more experienced colleague or mentor. You might be surprised at how much you can learn and grow from the experience. #seekcoaching, #becoachable 

Pollyanna Leadership?

“Positive leadership isn’t just about being optimistic, it’s about acknowledging challenges while emphasizing resilience and a can-do attitude. It empowers individuals and inspires teams to take risks, embrace change, learn from mistakes and work together to overcome obstacles. Unlike authoritarian leadership, positive leadership creates a more fulfilling and satisfying work environment while driving success.”- Dr. Kevin Lynn McLaughlin, PhD

Let’s talk about positive leadership and how it doesn’t mean that leaders ignore mistakes and not hold team members responsible. Positive leadership, which creates a supportive and constructive work environment where team members feel valued and respected, is better in the long-term for team morale and retention than authoritarian or command and control leadership. This is because positive leadership fosters trust and transparency, which leads to improved communication and collaboration, increased job satisfaction, and a lower likelihood of turnover.  Authoritarian leadership focuses on control and punishment, which can lead to a negative and demotivating work environment. 

Positive leadership is a critical component of building a strong and successful team, but it is important to understand what it is and what it is not. Positive leadership does not mean that you never hold team members accountable or that you are always behaving in a Pollyanna manner. On the contrary, positive leadership means creating a supportive and constructive work environment where team members are encouraged to learn, grow, and succeed. This includes holding team members accountable, when necessary, but doing so in a way that is respectful, supportive, and focused on growth and improvement. Cybersecurity leadership is about creating a culture of trust and transparency, where everyone feels valued and respected. When your cybersecurity team members trust their leaders and feel valued, they are more likely to be open and honest about their challenges and mistakes, which creates opportunities for growth and improvement. This does not mean ignoring coaching for improvement and learning opportunities nor does it mean you allow them to cover up mistakes. On the contrary, positive leaders must address concerns and mistakes, learn from them, and drive on to be better. This requires leaders to be honest, transparent, and constructive in their approach. Positive leadership is about creating a supportive and constructive work environment that fosters trust, transparency, and growth.Positive leadership is not about ignoring accountability or behaving in a Pollyanna manner, but rather it is about approaching challenges and mistakes with a positive and constructive mindset.  One extremely important concept in all of this is to follow the tenet of praising in public and coaching/mentoring in private.  Public shame and embarrassment seldom lead to high team morale and high team retention rates.

Retaining Cybersecurity Talent

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Kevin M’s Tips For Retaining Top Cybersecurity Talent

As the cybersecurity threat landscape continues to evolve, it’s important to have a talented and skilled team in place to protect your organization’s assets and data. However, finding and retaining cybersecurity talent can be a challenge.

The following best practices can help ensure your top performers stay with your organization for the long term:

  • Provide competitive compensation and benefits packages

This includes not only salaries and bonuses, but also benefits like healthcare, retirement plans and paid time off. 

  • Create a supportive and inclusive work environment. 

This can be done by ensuring your team members feel valued and respected. They should be able to see a clear path for professional growth and advancement within the organization. This can be achieved through regular performance evaluation, opportunities for skills development and recognition for a job well done.

  • Offer flexible work arrangements 

This includes hybrid, remote work, and onsite options as well as flexible schedules to meet the needs of your team – which is especially important post-covid.

  • Develop a strong company culture 

This can be done by encouraging open communication, promoting teamwork and collaboration, and fostering a sense of community amongst your team members. This not only helps to create a positive work environment, but it also helps to build strong relationships and a sense of belonging across the team. 

  • Invest in your team’s professional development 

This can be done through a comprehensive and continuous learning program that offers opportunities for your team members to expand their skills, learn about modern technologies and stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends.  Offering a combination of in-person training sessions, online courses, and hands-on experiences with innovative technologies is a great way to implement this program. Providing your team with the resources and support they need to grow and develop professionally can increase job satisfaction and help foster a sense of pride and ownership within your organization. 

Threat actors are working diligently every day to find new ways to compromise sensitive data and assets. Therefore, it is essential to have a strong cybersecurity team in place to protect your organization. Prioritizing the above best-practices is a great way to keep your team members engaged and motivated, which will increase the likelihood of retaining your top cybersecurity talent for the long-term.    

Thank you to my friend and colleague Ibn Akbar at Nice Touch Editing Services for helping me with the edits for this entry.