I lead with the intention that my team adds value to an organization through building relationships, developing processes that support our vision and optimizing the resources available. My focus is on people, process and technology – in that order.
I want my team to see me primarily as their coach, because I know they have the talent and expertise to lead their own areas of responsibility. When a difficult decision needs to be made, I see that as ultimately my responsibility, but only after everyone from the team has had an opportunity to share their perspectives. You might say that I believe in leading from behind. It’s not that I am not visible, but I prioritize my team being out in front and I seek to lift and support them along the journey.
I didn’t always operate from this perspective; earlier in my career, I believed leadership by example was all about doing and showing the way. I have witnessed first-hand the failure in that approach – when it is all about you, the leader, if you step away then things can unravel quickly.
Leadership direction
Now I focus on leadership by coaching and supporting. I point the direction to where we need to go and then allow each member of the team to determine their best path to get there. I give feedback and some clarifying expectations along the way, but I am not expecting them to follow me to our destination. In fact, in many cases I personally would have done things differently but the outcomes meet my expectations, so my response is “well done”!
Some team members need more direction depending on their experience and I am very intentional about supporting each person at the level they need to master their current challenges or grow, depending on their individual goals and needs.
I believe this guiding principle for leadership of coaching and supporting is critical in the field of security. The greater resilience we can build into our systems, the better. We should purposefully eliminate single points of failure wherever possible and yet so many leadership approaches set the leader as that single point of failure. When a disruptive event occurs, I need my team to feel prepared and empowered to respond even if they cannot reach me immediately. The way we work on a day-to-day basis better prepares them for those potential situations.
As a thought leader and influencer within my organization, I am now challenging myself to take this approach of coaching and supporting to my peers and others that I interact with beyond my team. To develop the next generation of security professionals and to have lasting organizational cultural change to improve security we need to meet people where they are. My approach as a security leader is not to push, or say “hey, follow me,” but rather encourage others in their journey of meaning, progress, connection, autonomy and competence; and the science of behavior change supports this approach.
This article was originally published in the March edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.
