What communication skills are essential for cybersecurity leaders?
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Cybersecurity leaders face complex and dynamic challenges in protecting their organizations from cyber threats. To succeed, they need not only technical skills, but also communication skills that enable them to collaborate, influence, and inspire others. In this article, we will explore what communication skills are essential for cybersecurity leaders and how they can develop them.
Active listening is the ability to pay attention, understand, and respond appropriately to what others are saying. It is crucial for cybersecurity leaders to listen to their team members, stakeholders, and customers, and to show empathy and respect. Active listening can help cybersecurity leaders to build trust, identify problems, and find solutions. To improve their active listening skills, cybersecurity leaders can practice asking open-ended questions, paraphrasing, summarizing, and giving feedback.
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Ratan Jyoti
CISO @ Ujjivan Small Finance Bank | CISA, CISSP,CDPSE,CIPM
Cybersecurity is like a war, but combative attitude is of no help. Cyber leaders should turn all stakeholders into partners and so communication and not technology is the key . Followings 6 communication skills will make you a successful Cybersecurity leader. 1. A positive language and the language of Business helps rather than negative and technical jargons. 2. Persuasion is the art and must be learned by Cybersecurity leaders. By the art of persuasion, your users will be your followers. 3. Tell cybersecurity as story to all your users and stakeholder to get their buy in. 4. Speak the cybersecurity in the same language that your stakeholder understands. 5. Engage with your Management and build trust. 6. Be collaborative to your Business.
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Alexander Hagenah
Offensive Cybersecurity Advocate | Speaker & Advisor
Active listening forms the bedrock of effective leadership, not just in cybersecurity. By tuning into the concerns and ideas of team members, we can forge strategies and foster an environment of mutual respect. The most insightful solutions often stem from the quietest voices in the room - listen to them!
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Clear and concise writing is the ability to convey information and ideas in a simple, direct, and accurate way. It is vital for cybersecurity leaders to write effectively, whether it is a report, an email, a policy, or a presentation. Clear and concise writing can help cybersecurity leaders to communicate their goals, expectations, and recommendations, and to avoid confusion, errors, and misunderstandings. To enhance their clear and concise writing skills, cybersecurity leaders can use plain language, avoid jargon and acronyms, structure their content logically, and proofread their work.
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Luis Carlos Sampaio
DevOps | RHCE | RHCSA | CCNP | MCSE | MCT | CISCO ENARSI | CCNA R&S | AZURE | AWS
1️⃣ Articulate Tech Concepts: Make complex ideas accessible to all. 2️⃣ Active Listening: Truly grasp team feedback. 3️⃣ Adapt Communication: Tailor your message for each audience. 4️⃣ Handle Conflicts: Navigate tough talks with tact. 5️⃣ Understand Audience Needs: Align info with stakeholder interests. 6️⃣ Collaboration: Foster teamwork across departments. 7️⃣ Influence & Inspire: Advocate for resources and motivate teams. Effective communication is key to cybersecurity success
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Hima Bindu Vejella
Engineering Practitioner | Growth Hacker | Technology Catalyst | Servant Leader | Technical Author | Invited Speaker
This is need of the hour as you grow. The leader should be able to use simple direct language with no superficial or exaggeration. There are many inspiring leaders who speaks such a simple english . Leaders are made. Leaders create more leadeers. Surprisingly many successful leaders native language is non English
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Persuasive speaking is the ability to convince others to accept or act on a certain point of view or course of action. It is important for cybersecurity leaders to speak persuasively, whether it is to their team, their management, or their clients. Persuasive speaking can help cybersecurity leaders to gain support, approval, and resources for their projects, initiatives, and strategies, and to overcome resistance and objections. To sharpen their persuasive speaking skills, cybersecurity leaders can use facts, evidence, and examples, appeal to emotions and values, and address counterarguments and concerns.
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Laura A. Jones, Ph.D., C-CRO, CRISC, CISM
Cyber/Information Security and Risk Strategist | Focused on the Business | Proud Military Veteran | Author and Int'l Speaker
Part of a cybersecurity leader’s persuasive powers aligns with their ability to create trust. It’s essential to cultivate relationships internal and external to the organization to move a cybersecurity program forward. The need, the knowledge, and the network are the trifecta that strengthen value propositions.
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Surinder S. Rait, CISA, CISM
Head of Global IT Security Assurance at Ericsson
Cybersecurity Leaders need to be great story tellers. Management need to connect with your story and also make sure not to be too technical which is mostly the core issue when management and executives loose interest
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Collaborative teamwork is the ability to work with others towards a common goal or outcome. It is essential for cybersecurity leaders to collaborate with their team members, as well as with other departments, functions, and organizations. Collaborative teamwork can help cybersecurity leaders to leverage diverse skills, perspectives, and experiences, and to achieve better results, innovation, and efficiency. To foster collaborative teamwork skills, cybersecurity leaders can set clear roles and expectations, encourage participation and feedback, and acknowledge and appreciate contributions.
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Gonzalo Latorre
Cybersecurity Leader | Solution Architect | IAM | CIAM | IGA | Identity CoE | Advisory | Deloitte
Leadership skills include teamwork skills. You can't become a great leader if you aren't a great communicator and someone who is easy to work with. To be more clear, you can't become a leader solely by being able to work with a team; your team also needs to recognize you as a leader.
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Enrique Kalb
Turn your IT from a cost to a profit center
Let's take for example a cybersecurity project, teamwork among leaders and team members from various departments lead to innovative solutions, and comprehensive threat mitigation strategies.
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Intercultural competence is the ability to interact effectively and appropriately with people from different cultures, backgrounds, and contexts. It is relevant for cybersecurity leaders who work in global or multicultural environments, or who deal with diverse customers, partners, and vendors. Intercultural competence can help cybersecurity leaders to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and biases, and to build rapport, trust, and respect. To cultivate intercultural competence skills, cybersecurity leaders can learn about different cultures and norms, adapt their communication style and behavior, and seek feedback and guidance.
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Amado G.
Soporte técnico remoto TI | Ciberseguridad | Microsoft Partner | Distribuidor Contpaqi | Acronis
En un mundo cada vez más globalizado, los líderes de ciberseguridad a menudo interactúan con personas de diversas culturas y orígenes. La competencia intercultural puede ayudar a evitar malentendidos que podrían llevar a brechas de seguridad. Además, al entender y respetar las diferencias culturales, los líderes de ciberseguridad pueden construir relaciones más fuertes y de confianza con clientes, socios y proveedores de todo el mundo. Esto puede conducir a una colaboración más efectiva y a una mayor eficacia en la prevención y respuesta a las amenazas de ciberseguridad. En resumen, la competencia intercultural es una habilidad valiosa para cualquier líder en el campo de la ciberseguridad.
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Gonzalo Latorre
Cybersecurity Leader | Solution Architect | IAM | CIAM | IGA | Identity CoE | Advisory | Deloitte
It is well-demonstrated that diverse teams exhibit superior performance and creativity. As a cybersecurity leader, you need to learn how to collaborate with people from around the world, encompassing different cultures, languages, and beliefs. It's not challenging once you recognize that, as a leader, you work for your team.
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Crisis communication is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately during a stressful or emergency situation. It is crucial for cybersecurity leaders who have to deal with cyber incidents, breaches, or attacks, and who have to inform and reassure their team, their organization, and their stakeholders. Crisis communication can help cybersecurity leaders to manage the situation, minimize the impact, and restore confidence and reputation. To improve their crisis communication skills, cybersecurity leaders can prepare and plan ahead, communicate clearly and frequently, and show empathy and accountability.
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Ryan Rivera
Director of Information Technology at Marc & Rose Hospitality
Its important to remember that in a crisis, you and your team are not the only ones experiencing it. Your customers (internal or external) are often hindered from doing their own jobs as well. It is important to give concise updates with realistic timelines. Everyone wants to hear that all systems will up in an hour, but you will be better off providing a more realistic ETA. A little bit of empathy goes a long way.
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Oliver Pinson-Roxburgh
Cyber security CEO | Click follow to get weekly security updates | helping businesses of all size improve security.
Maintaining a calm and pragmatic communication style is critical in a crisis, there should be no blame just focus on the crisis and strategy towards addressing the immediate risks and that requires a level head. Proper planning and well-rehearsed incident response processes makes sure crisis communication is effective during an incident.
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Peter H. Gregory
Cybersecurity servant leader, board advisor, non-profit board member, mentor, creator, expert witness, best-selling author, beekeeper, remnant truth seeker. #CISSP #CDPSE #CISA #CISM #CIPM #CCSK #DRCE #CRISC #CCRF
An essential skill for cyber leaders is one that I call being "bilingual." In this context, I'm referring to the ability to talk tech with technology personnel, and to speak with business leaders and board members in strictly business terms.
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Rhea Galsim, HITRUST CCSFP
A good leader is an active listener who is empathetic and develops the individual talents of each person on their team. A great leader communicates persuasively, has a strong vision, and cares about their team’s wellbeing in addition to improving their team’s professional career and their leadership potential. A leader basically builds other leaders.
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