When I finally became the leader of a small security function at a rapidly-growing startup in August 2020, I had to hack my way through a lot of leadership lessons the hard way. In many cases, I wish someone had told me what to expect before I took the helm as a baby CISO.
While I prevailed in passing 3 security compliance audits on a shoestring budget and scaling security, I wouldn’t say it was painless. Discover the secrets of real-world CISOs in the trenches before you’re in a security leadership role – especially if, like me, you’re an individual from an underrepresented background.
Learn why individuals with a sterling work ethic and analytical mindset often find themselves woefully unprepared to create relationships with the C-Suite, and the importance of setting boundaries between work and professional life. Discover the business security metrics that executives care about, how to embed security into the sales lifecycle with world-class security assurance efforts, and last, how to know when it’s time to cut bait and grow your career elsewhere.
And with those lessons in mind, you will also learn how to feed yourself and your partner (or housemates) with minimal effort – I’ll present a series of truisms and tactics for assembling a crockpot meal in between Zoom calls that won’t necessarily look perfect but will taste delicious and minimize your spend on delivery meals. I’ll share recipes and photos for Wild rice hot-dish, epic tater tot casserole, tortilla soup, and cabbage soup – while also linking to a Github repo with full recipes. Together, we’ll feed your security leadership career and your face!