5 Top Qualities, Ego is the Enemy, and Explain Things Better – BSW #287

Here are the top qualities that identify a next-generation chief information security officer.

1. Displays a strategic focus
2. Balances opportunity with risk
3. Allows leadership experience to shine through
4. Understands the business, earns trust, and practices empathy
5. Speaks in a language that resonates across all levels

Here are a few cybersecurity budget best practices that can help:

• Review the company’s cyber network, including its blind spots
• Examine the past budget to see the inclusions and exclusions
• Assess the company’s current budget allocation
• Create an inventory of existing products, services and spend
• Monitor the company’s network every day
• Check for better and more cost-effective products and solutions
• Ensure every area of cybersecurity gets the budgetary attention it needs

Cloud computing giants are changing the cybersecurity market with their own offerings, acquisitions and software marketing deals, but Microsoft (MSFT) poses the biggest threat to incumbents in the sector as it sells multiple products to companies in discounted deals.

Now, the software behemoth has told analysts that its security business now brings in $15 billion in annual revenue. It's growing 40% each year. Microsoft bundles products at its Azure cloud computing business and Office 365 platform. Meanwhile, cybersecurity stocks have lagged the S&P 500 in 2022.

As we rise in the ranks, we acquire more power. And with that, people are more likely to want to please us by listening more attentively, agreeing more, and laughing at our jokes. All of these tickle the ego. And when the ego is tickled, it grows.

An unchecked ego can warp our perspective or twist our values. In the words of Jennifer Woo, CEO and chair of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Asia’s largest luxury retailer, “Managing our ego’s craving for fortune, fame, and influence is the prime responsibility of any leader.” When we’re caught in the grip of the ego’s craving for more power, we lose control. Ego makes us susceptible to manipulation; it narrows our field of vision; and it corrupts our behavior, often causing us to act against our values.

When someone gives a speech, leads a meeting, or sends us an email, we don’t generally think much about how abstract or concrete their language is. But the authors’ research suggests that this subtle difference in communication style can substantially impact how people are perceived, as more-abstract speech tends to be associated with power and leadership. Moreover, the authors found that on average, women tend to use more concrete language while men use more abstract language, meaning that the way women are socialized to communicate can sometimes make them less likely to be seen as leaders. As such, they argue that to encourage everyone to reach their leadership potential, we must acknowledge that this bias exists — and take proactive steps to ensure that how someone speaks doesn’t drown out what they’re saying.

Great communicators are master explainers. They can take something like quantum physics or philosophy and break it into easily understandable snippets. Whether you’re giving a speech, leading a meeting, or explaining your passion to your friends, these 16 tips can help you send a well-received message:

1. Start with why they should care
2. Invest time in your own research 
3. Before you explain, create a mental image
4. Put the most relevant information at the beginning and end
5. Assess how much they already understand
6. Break it up into small bites
7. Use repetition
8. Keep it simple 
9. Don’t pretend to be an expert
10. Provide reputable resources and evidence 
11. Create your own mnemonic 
12. Use these secret explanation tactics 
13. Use storytelling
14. Use visual cues
15. Notice the body language cues of confusion versus understanding
16. Ask questions during a conversation