Insights For Success

Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

Leadership

Networking for Aspiring Leaders: Why Relationships Matter

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Unlock leadership success with network building strategies and relationship tips designed for aspiring leaders on the rise.

As an aspiring leader, you understand the importance of hard work, dedication, and determination. But did you know that fostering relationships and building a solid network is equally important to your career success? 

As a leader, network building and relationships are essential to your success: 

  1. Access to opportunities: Expanding your network opens new job opportunities, partnerships, and mentorship opportunities. You can open more doors for yourself if you know more people.

  2. Diverse perspectives: Leaders must understand different viewpoints to make informed decisions. You are exposed to new ideas and insights when establishing relationships with people from diverse backgrounds.

  3. Increased influence: Your network can help amplify your message, lend credibility to your efforts, and mobilize resources for your initiatives when you have a strong network.

  4. Personal growth: Developing new skills, avoiding common pitfalls, and growing as a leader are all made possible by networking.

 

You can begin building a solid network by following these tips: 

  1. Be authentic: Authentic relationships are based on trust and shared values. Try not to impress others; instead, focus on creating genuine connections by being yourself.

  2. Practice active listening: Please be sure to engage in active listening when engaging with others to show your genuine interest in their stories, opinions, and concerns.

  3. Seek out mentors: You can accelerate your growth and expand your network by identifying experienced leaders in your field and seeking guidance.

  4. Attend industry events: Join professional associations, attend conferences, and participate in local meetups to build your network and meet like-minded individuals.

  5. Be a resource: Help others by sharing your knowledge, expertise, or connections. As a result, trust is fostered, relationships are strengthened, and your leadership value is demonstrated.

  6. Follow up: Send a personalized message to cement the connection after meeting someone new.

  7. Use social media: Connect with industry thought leaders on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

 

The building of networks and the development of relationships are essential to the success of any aspiring leader. You will be on your way to becoming the leader you aspire to be by prioritizing these skills and following the tips provided.


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Modern Politics and the Cycle of Decay: The Fish Rots from the Head Down

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Discuss the implications of the proverb "a fish rots from the head down" in modern politics, emphasizing the importance of strong, ethical leadership.

A brief introduction

A fish rots from the head down, an ancient proverb that illustrates the importance of leadership in any organization or society. Unfortunately, when problems arise, the root cause can often be traced back to those in positions of power. This blog post examines the implications of this proverb for modern politics and how political leaders can prevent this decay from spreading.

Politics and the Proverb

According to the proverb "a fish rots from the head down," the leadership is often to blame when things go wrong in a political system. Political problems are often a result of decisions or actions taken by those in authority. Unaddressed, these issues may trickle down and impact the entire system, including its citizens.

Poor political leadership and its consequences

In modern politics, poor leadership can have far-reaching and disastrous consequences. Mismanagement, a lack of vision, and unethical behaviour can lead to political scandals, social unrest, and a loss of faith in the political system. As a result, citizens may become disillusioned with their leaders and lose trust in the democratic process, resulting in low voter turnout, civil unrest, and even the rise of extremist ideologies. Political leaders must adopt strategies that promote transparency, accountability, and citizen involvement to prevent the proverbial rot.

Modern politics: preventing the rot

Politicians must adopt several key strategies to avoid the proverbial fish rot in politics:

  1. Transparency and Accountability: Political leaders need to be transparent and accountable about their intentions, goals, and potential roadblocks. They can establish trust with their constituents and encourage an open dialogue on political issues by fostering a culture of transparency.

  2. Ethical Leadership: Maintaining credibility and public trust requires political leaders to adhere to ethical standards. A leader should prioritize the well-being of their constituents and make decisions based on the greater good rather than personal gain.

  3. Promote Citizen Engagement: Promoting citizen engagement is essential to the success of a healthy political system. Political leaders can facilitate meaningful engagement by ensuring easy access to information, promoting public discourse, and promoting citizen participation.

  4. Collaboration and Bipartisanship: Collaboration and compromise are essential to effective political leadership. To find common ground and come up with solutions that are beneficial to the majority, leaders must be willing to work with opposing parties.


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Who was Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau was born in Montreal, Quebec, on October 18, 1919. His father, Charles-Émile Trudeau, was a successful businessman and his mother, Grace Elliott, was an heiress. The Trudeau family got their money from Montreal's timber and fur trade businesses.

Trudeau was educated at the prestigious Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. He then studied law at the Université de Montréal and political science at Harvard University.

Trudeau's relationship with Lester B Pearson began when they were both young men working in Ottawa. Trudeau was a civil servant, and Pearson was a diplomat. They bonded over their love of politics and hatred of the day's Conservative government.

In 1965, Pearson was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and became prime minister. Trudeau became his close adviser and friend.

Trudeau became the party's leader in 1968; he won on the third ballot and became the Prime Minister of Canada in 1968.

As a minister, Trudeau was responsible for sweeping changes to Canada's criminal code, including decriminalizing homosexuality and abortion.

During his time as Prime Minister, Trudeau helped to solidify Canada's status as an independent nation. He also put forth policies that aimed to improve the lives of all Canadians, regardless of their background or station in life.

Some of Trudeau's significant achievements include the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the official recognition of both English and French as Canada's official languages, and the implementation of a universal healthcare system.

Trudeau was also embroiled in several controversies during his time as Prime Minister. These include the 1970 October Crisis, in which he invoked the War Measures Act to deal with a separatist terrorist group, and the 1980 National Energy Program, which aimed to increase government control over the energy sector but ended up alienating many Western Canadians.

Despite these controversies, Trudeau is considered one of the most influential Prime Ministers in Canadian history. He served for over 15 years, and his legacy continues to shape the country today.

CISOs are stressed and I can prove it

GeneralEdward Kiledjian
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Not a week goes by without some data breach, leak, hack, attack or other significant cybersecurity failures that spills all over blogs and even national media.

Five years ago, only avant-garde companies invested in cybersecurity; today, it has become a must. Companies realize the importance of a solid cybersecurity plan built on the People, Process and Technology pillars. One topic rarely discussed by corporate executives or security leaders is the incredible (and growing) stress the current environment inflicts on CISOs.

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The stress is real

Stress is a normal way of life for most executives, but CISOs feel an acute level. Nominet's report, in collaboration with Vanson Bourne, The CISO Stress Report - Life Inside the Perimeter: One yes on", was the first quantification of this systemic issue.

In 2019, Nominet and Vanson Bourne conducted 800 online interviews in the USA and U.K (400 C-Suite and 400 CISOs). The included CISOs worked for both public and private corporates with at least 3,000 employees. They were quizzed about work-related stress and its effect on their professional & personal lives.

88 percent of CISOs consider themselves under moderate or high levels of stress

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Some Interesting conclusions

  • 7 out of 10 CISOs agree their work-life balance is too heavily weighted towards work (71%)

  • Almost all CISOs are working beyond their contracted hours, on average by 10 hours per week (95%)

  • This equates to extra time worth $30,319 per annum

  • 87% of CISOs say that working additional hours was expected by their organization, while 78% of board members admitted this to be the case

  • 83% of CISOs spend at least half of their evenings and weekends thinking about work

  • Only 2% say they are able to switch off once they’ve left the office

  • Over a third have failed to take all entitled annual leave

  • 45% have missed family milestones or activities

More about the stress

The average tenure of a CISO is 26 months, and many believe stress is the primary motivator of change.

CISOs reported missing important family events such as birthdays, vacations, weddings and even funerals. Even with all the stress and extra working hours, most CISOs aren't taking their full annual leave (or sick days, time off for medical & dental appointments, etc.)

Stuart Reed, vice president at Nominet, suggested that the stress and wear & team on CISOs result from a combination of internal and external factors. The external factors are the headlines your read about, while the internal stresses are the pressure from executives expecting CISOs to "properly" handle these incidents and to provide updates & answers continually.

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What are the most stress inducing elements?

  • 44% being responsible for securing the organization and preventing breaches

  • 40% the need to stay ahead of threat intelligence

  • 39% the long hours worked

  • 65% of those surveyed had suffered a breach in the past 12 months

  • 37% of CISOs consider themselves ultimately % responsible for a breach while 31% of board members agree

  • A fifth of CISOs believe they would be fired as a result, regardless of whether or not they themselves were responsible

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What are the effects of the stress?

  • Nearly half of CISOs said the levels of stress they are under has impacted their mental health (48%)

  • 35% also reported that their stress had impacted their physical health

  • 4 out of 10 CISOs said that their stress levels had affected relationships with their partners or children

  • 31% said the stress affected their ability to fully perform at their job

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How are CISOs coping with the stress?

  • A quarter of CISOs are turning to medication or alcohol to manage their stress - an increase from 17% a year ago

  • A fifth have taken a leave of absence due to stress (21%)

  • 21% believed there to be no support structures in place within their organization to help deal with stress, while 94% of board members suggest there are

  • 9 out of 10 CISOs would take a pay cut to improve their work-life balance; on average 7.76%, equating to $9,642

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The silver lining

The report suggests that boards of directors are aware of the stress affecting their CISOs (74% of respondents believe that moderate or severe stress impacts their CISO).

As the board of directors and CIOs acknowledge this significant issue, they show more willingness to hire support staff to alleviate some of the stress elements. Ensuring the CISO is surrounded by skilled senior professionals can help alleviate many of the most aggravating elements. These supporting professionals must be experienced security technicians and have strong business acumen, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in teams or alone.

Another important stress reliever is ensuring the CISO can honestly share the state of their cyber universe with the executive leadership team to ensure decision-makers universally understand risks and provide executive support to the CISO (guidance and funding). The CISO must know he/she is not alone.

Cybersecurity is growing in importance and, for many organizations, has become the price of entry. Executives have started to understand this important fundamental truth and are now more willing to share the cybersecurity burden.

Conclusion

I built my first security business (a Canada wide security practice) that was later sold to Bell Canada in the early 2000’s and have been actively involved in cybersecurity since. Over the last 20+ years, I have seen the importance of security grow and this has required the creation of the CISO role.

Unfortunately I see too many CISOs that have been promoted to their level of incompetence (read about Peter’s principle here). The job is difficult enough for the professional with the right skills but is deadly for the wrong professional promoted as a reward (not because of merit).

Companies should perform an honest review of their CISOs competence and abilities. Thrusting the wrong person into this role is a disservice to the candidate.

Additionally it is important to realize that most security certifications tackle the technical skills. These are important but form less than 40% of the CISO’s true day to day responsibilities. The key skills (negotiation, strategic vision, budgeting, people management, etc) are completely ignored in most of the certifications companies deem “required” when posting a CISO job. HR leaders must quickly understand the new realities of the CISO role and craft job descriptions akin to that of a business executive leader than a manager for firewalls. This realization is important because a properly skilled CISO will handle the stress much better and therefore will deliver a much higher return on investment for the company.

HR leaders must learn to hire the right candidate for the CISO position

It's time to evaluate your company

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

As we pass to the second half of the year, many companies start their annual merit review cycle. It is an opportunity for your leaders to evaluate the corpus of your work and determine how much value you delivered to the company (thus deserving a salary adjustment).

What employees often forget is that they too should use this period as an opportunity to determine if they are doing the right job, in the right company & at the right compensation level.

Read my blog entry The “You” Brand

The 4 power questions

  1. Do you like what you are doing?

  2. Do you like who you are doing it with and where you are doing it?

  3. Does your company offer a path your desired future job?

  4. Are you fairly compensated

As we walk through each of these questions, it is important to remember that there is no "perfect" life partner and there is no "perfect" company. What we are trying to determine is: "Is this company the right one for your at this moment in time".

It is important to evaluate the questions in the order I have presented them.

Do you like what you are doing?

Ask yourself if you (honestly) are excited about the work you are doing. When Friday comes along, do you turn off “work mode” until Monday morning? If you do then you have a job, not a career. It means you are not passionate about your chosen profession and it may be time to figure out “what you want to be when you grow up”.

Do you like who you are doing it with and where you are doing it?

Many leaders would probably break this question down into 2 separate ones (one for people and one for the company) but I believe they work better together.

You may like your job but do you like the people you are doing it with? There is no perfect environment but overall, do you enjoy collaborating and working with most of your co-workers? Are you surrounded by like-minded people who challenge you and respect you? Do the people you work with care as much about you, as you do for them?

In the same vein, do you like working for your company? Do you share the vision, mission and core values of your company? A 2017 MetLife survey found employees (9/10) would rather work for a company that shared their values than one that offered higher pay. The survey also found that employees were willing to take a 21% pay cut to work for that better-aligned company (jumped to 34% for millennials).

This is also the category I include work-life alignment in. Does the ratio of work-life balance the company expects to, align with what you are looking for?

Obviously, every employee’s requirements are different but the importance of this alignment is undeniable.

If you love your job (question 1) and you love who you work with (where), then work doesn’t feel like work. You can enjoy going to work and living your best life.

Does your company offer a path your desired future job?

Not everyone is looking for career advancement but most of you probably are. Does your company offer a supportive, nurturing environment where you can learn and grow? Are executives willing to take a chance with less experienced employees, allowing them to develop? Are executives willing to coach and guide employees to develop their skills in preparation for future promotion? Last, but not least, does the company promote from within or do they hire most leaders from the outside?

Are you fairly compensated

The question about compensation was purposefully left until the end. Every other question we have examined will feed into this one.

The old 1980's corporate mantra was :

"Employees work just enough not to get fired. Employers pay just enough so employees don't quit".

As stupid as this mantra sounds today, some older leaders still espouse this as a "nugget of wisdom" (do the companies values align with yours?).

The modern strategy of salary management dictates that companies must pay enough so employees aren't stressed about money and spend their mental energy on doing what they do best.

The real-world equation is more complicated and is a subjective evaluation of fair pay within the company (often difficult to judge because the information is not readily available), and compare to other organizations offerings for similar roles.

It is easy to understand why a company that compensates you properly, probably also values your skills and expertise properly.

Remember the MetLife survey, where employees were willing to work for less if the company's values aligned with their own? This is also true about the other 3 questions we previously discussed.

If you feel that the company's values don't align with yours and/or that the company doesn't offer career advancement and/or you dislike the people you work with, you may decide to stay but may demand a higher premium for the extra "suffering".

Conclusion

Ultimately this is a deeply personal introspection and one you must do honestly (regardless if you are a new graduate or a seasoned executive).

Your company evaluates you annually to decide if you are worth keeping, you should do the same and decide if the company is worth staying at.