Don't Get Tangled up in Your Cape: Hero Culture as a Negative Force in Cyber Security

Presented at A New HOPE (2022), July 23, 2022, 9 p.m. (50 minutes).

Everyone loves a good hero story, except when it provides a foundation for burnout, gatekeeping, intolerance, and creating a toxic culture. This talk explores the origins of no sleep, no downtime, chaos-driven response, and reward systems alongside "superpower" skillsets that act as barriers to entry for many early in career individuals. It examines conditions that value and foster isolation and burnout, and often portray mental health issues as weakness. It provides real-world examples of the impact of "hero culture" as a negative element in the infosec community, including social media communications, adversarial interview processes, and corporate messaging. Lastly, it presents strategies for addressing these concerns and resources for those struggling or wishing to grow beyond the current state of affairs.


Presenters:

  • George Sandford
    **George Sandford** leads the Gigamon Technical Success (TSM) team with more than 20 years of experience helping clients solve their IT and security challenges through firsthand engagement, leading exceptional teams, and focusing on customer success. He is a passionate advocate for expanding diversity and building a more inclusive and positive security community.

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