BSW #296 – Terry Ray

Today more than 300 million people are working remotely — creating, accessing, sharing, and storing data wherever they go — and data breaches arising from insider threats and simple mishaps can cost businesses an average of $7.5 million annually. Ultimately it doesn’t matter if a breach is intentional or accidental. Insider risk programs should be part of every company’s security strategy. To be successful, organizations should lead with their employees as partners in the effort and supplement their program with advanced tools that detect and mitigate insider risks wherever they arise. The author offers four lessons he’s learned as Microsoft’s chief information security officer.

The U.S. Dept. of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will open a comment period for stakeholders on proposed significant reform to its Cybersecurity Framework (CSF).

In advance of the public comment period, the standards organization wrapped up the last stakeholder workshops last week. It is the first time in five years that NIST has sought sweeping changes to the voluntary framework, which is designed to help provide “guidance to organizations to better understand, manage, reduce and communicate cybersecurity risks. It is a foundational and essential resource used by all sectors around the world.”

There is no exact definition for what a leader does. Each leader’s style of leadership is influenced by their personality and the challenges that they are faced with. There are, however, some qualities that all good leaders share. They are:

• Accountability.
• Awareness.
• Confidence.
• Decisiveness.
• Empathy.
• Focus.
• Honesty.
• Inspiration.
• Optimism.

Within an organization, employees always want to have ongoing conversations with managers to get direction on their business and discuss what they want to accomplish for the business, what the business needs, and what they want to do next with their careers. Employees need to know if their manager is investing in their development. Leaders, whether virtual or face-to-face, use a Communication, Feedback, and Recognition (CFR) model that provides critical insights for employees to see the company’s commitment to fulfilling their potential.

When entrepreneurs think about improving their leadership skills, they often focus on adding new skills, knowledge, and behaviors. However, what we as entrepreneurs often overlook is the power of subtraction. In many cases, removing something from our leadership toolkit can be even more effective in helping us become better leaders.

By adopting subtraction, I am able to create the space necessary to focus on what really matters and prioritize my goals more effectively. In this article, I will explore the concept of subtraction as it relates to leadership, and how it helped me be a better team leader.

Conducting effective interviews can help you avoid the costly mistake of a bad new hire. According to CareerBuilder, the average cost of a bad hire in the US is $15,000, while the average cost of losing a good hire is almost $30,000. This is an important perspective!

Remember, the interview process often shapes how a new hire (both good and bad) feels about your company. Your goal is not only to avoid bad hires but also to ensure a good hire is prepped for loyalty and longevity right at that first interview.