CIOopinion
CIO OPINION
“
LEADERSHIP IS
AT THE CENTRE OF EVERY
SUCCESS AND FAILURE
IN BUSINESS.
M.K. Palmore, VP, Field Chief Security Officer for Palo Alto Networks
Five leadership
maxims for today’s
cybersecurity leaders
Curating a highly skilled,
capable and resilient workforce
is the key to success when
leading a team. M.K. Palmore,
VP, Field Chief Security Officer
for Palo Alto Networks,
discusses five ways to become
a strong leader of today.
Leadership is at the centre of every
success and failure in business. At
a time of crisis, the critical strengths
of leaders, like compassion and agility,
are pushed front and centre.
Some organisations will thrive while
others will struggle with the challenges
that change brings, and much of it
is based on the choices and actions
of leaders.
It’s stating the obvious that every
organisation needs strong leaders,
particularly when the going
gets tough.
It’s important to keep developing
your own skills as a leader, as well
as cultivating the next generation
of leaders from the pool of
talent available.
So, where to look for
leadership material?
In cybersecurity, it’s not unusual for
technologists to lead teams. I have
been lucky to work for technologists that
not only have a good perspective on
leadership, but can practice what
they preach.
However, the more shared stereotype is
that technologists understand technology
but not people. The common thought is
that they tend to be technically proficient
but lack the social and emotional skills
required for effective leadership, which
presents a challenge in cybersecurity.
As an industry that requires specific
knowledge and deep expertise,
technologists are the obvious choice
when it comes to leadership. For non-
46 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com