Companies Need to Rethink What Cybersecurity Leadership Is

Many companies are still struggling to make cybersecurity a vibrant, proactive part of strategy, operations, and culture. The root cause is twofold: (1) Cybersecurity is treated as a back-office job and (2) most cyber leaders are ill-equipped to exert strategic influence. Today’s cyber leaders must be able to embed security throughout the company’s operations, rapidly respond to threats, and influence fellow senior leaders. In short, they must be able to lead. And that means companies need to hire and develop security executives who have the skills to be true leaders. This article presents a framework for boards and C-suite executives to use when formulating a cybersecurity strategy and choosing someone to lead it.