New security role? Don't skip this step.


Hey there,

When you step into a new cybersecurity role, you're drinking from the firehose. Joining a new organization as the CISO is both exciting and a bit overwhelming, whether it's a startup, midsize organization, or massive enterprise. There's new tech to learn, team members to meet, security architectures to become familiar with, and more.

Building relationships with your peers is an understated yet critically important step when you first join. Some may prefer to wait until they know enough to have a well-informed discussion. Others may prefer to play the newbie card and jump right in.

Regardless, there's momentum and attention you get when you join an organization in a high-profile role like the CISO. So this week, since Frank just took this step himself, it's only fitting that this week's article spotlighted that process.


Action item

Whether you're new in a role or not, make an intentional decision to set up a meeting with one of your peers who is in an adjacent team. Humble yourself to explore the ways that security might be making their lives harder. But build on that to start figuring out a better way, not some cookie-cutter influencer advice, but a contextualized path forward for your teams.

Having these conversations can be tough because it might seem like you're throwing your team under the bus. In reality, though, it's about acknowledging the imperfect state of security (which is inevitable) and building alliances to make it better.

In case you missed it

Thinking about quitting your job?

If you're not yet in the new role but thinking about it, check out these tips on quitting your job with class and integrity.

Building your first cybersecurity OKRs

As you start to build out your action plan, start thinking about strategic goals. Framing them in the OKR format can help you measure and communicate with impact.

Keep growing,

- Rob & Frank

Soft Side of Cyber

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Soft Side of Cyber

Empowering cybersecurity professionals with the non-technical skills they need to thrive.

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