The Security Leader's Communication Playbook and Leading the Digital Workforce Set

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Foreword for The Security Leader's Communication Playbook by Jeffrey W. Brown

The CISO role has evolved so rapidly in Fortune-class organizations -- from a siloed technologist to now a C-Suite leader who advises on the confluence of infosec, risk and business initiatives. Jeff Brown is among a small cohort of security leaders who have been at the forefront of this evolution.

Jeff has led security teams in Fortune 500 financial services firms and now as the first CISO for the State of Connecticut. He's brought that experience to this book and mixed it with his humanities training - he was a journalism major before he went into infosec - to offer an invaluable perspective on how CISOs must communicate to be effective.

Communication isn't a CISO 'nice-to-have' -- it's now an essential skill. One meeting, they need to help a sales regional head understand and own risk around customer data collection processes. The next meeting, they're briefing the board on the risk associated with a new acquisition and presenting a mitigation roadmap. CISOs must be influencers across levels of the business. Communications skills drive influential interactions.

In this book, Jeff taps into his experience and skillset to provide clear, actionable guidance on the communication skills CISOs need to connect with the business. This hands-on guide doesn't talk abstractly about how to communicate, but instead speaks directly to CISOs' needs and is an essential part of any CISO's library.

"I remember having a conversation with a friend about my desire to become a security architect. He told me, "Be wary; the security realm is politically charged and full of less competent people. Everywhere he had worked had derogatory opinions on the security departments and architects." As I read this book, I couldn't help but wish that all security practitioners had access to this informative guide. Having worked in various security organizations, I have witnessed the success and failure of the security function. The common factor that distinguishes these scenarios is how well the security leadership and teams comprehend and align their work with the business objectives. This book is a valuable manual for every security practitioner who seeks to bring value to their organization. Personally, I will hold this book close to my heart as I progress in my career."

-- John Kuforiji PMP

Leading the Digital Workforce, focuses on being and becoming a leader. One of the core principles that many organizations I have worked with struggle with is who should be a leader. Some people truly are not cut out to be a leader. They need to gain the skills outlined in this book. These include mastering your mindset, managing emotions, and other foundational skills to help you become a leader. The author argues that anyone can improve their leadership skills and that great leaders are not necessarily born that way. For me, the concept of mastering your emotions resonated. Over the years of my career, I have found some of the skills listed in this book, including managing your emotions and mastering your mindset, to be useful tools.

The component or one part of the book that, in considering this book, stands out for me beyond the tools given early in the book is the concepts of worthy leaders that are incredibly useful. The first is one that I haven't seen often and that I find incredibly insightful-simply determining whether one can and should be a leader. Leaders and managers are different, but we must ask ourselves if we have the skills for a leadership role. Leaders have to find a voice that this book will help them hone. As the "employee," you must want to follow that leader. The second component that resonated with me is the concept of becoming the leader people to follow. So the first part is to ask yourself, should you be a leader? Am I ready to be a leader? The second part is combining the book and becoming a leader worth following.

Finally, we come to something new for me in this work-the six leadership styles. The six leadership styles based on Daniel Goleman's model are autocratic, visionary, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and coaching. It advises readers to adapt their style to the situation and the needs of their team. The concepts of each leadership style and applying the "right" style at the "right" time are valuable. First, as a team concept, knowing what style the leader is in at that time helps you navigate your day-to-day role. But as a leader, knowing what your style is natively allows you to move into the style your team needs. To borrow from an adage, when you are up to your neck alligators, it is not the time to question your leader.

All in all, I highly recommend the book Leading the Digital Workforce. It has helped me refine my views of leaders and leadership and better understand how I impact as a leader and how the leaders I work for impact me!

- Scott Andersen