Should You Be A Leader? Part 2 Of 2.

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Part 2

This is part 2 of our series, "Should you be a leader?"

The decision you need to make about whether to move into leadership is critical in your career. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, world-famous business psychologist, former CEO, author, and raconteur, tells us that this is not a decision to be made lightly (emphasis added):

Of course, it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the elephant in the boardroom: Plenty of people ascend to leadership not because they are especially talented, but because they lucked into the right family, the right network, or the right school tie. Nepotism, privilege, and elite membership still grease the wheels of many leadership careers. I’ve left these off the checklist for the simple reason that not everything that is should be. Just because these forces still work doesn’t mean we should celebrate them, let alone confuse them with actual leadership potential.

He offers ten questions for reflection. We will review them and add commentary for cybersecurity leaders. We have a list of proposed interview questions that we could train you up on to address these; for now, you're on your own.

1. Do you have technical expertise?

We've covered this at length. Cybersecurity leadership is different from leading a finance or manufacturing or sales or healthcare function. By the time you are being considered for the CIO, CTO, or CISO roles, you are technically adept. Or at least you used to be adept until artificial intelligence (AI) disrupted your organization's cybersecurity operations.

2. Are you a fast learner?

By this Tomas does not mean do you have a high level of cognitive ability. He is asking whether you can be agile in your approach to real-world problems and manage through continual change.

3. Are you curious?

Being a 'fast learner' according to Tomas is the ability to learn, while curiosity is the willingness to learn. Very different. He puts it well: 

Curiosity also enhances intelligence because it pushes you to acquire knowledge you did not have. Meta-analytic studies show that trait curiosity predicts leadership effectiveness. The paradox is that curiosity tends to decline with age and expertise. The more senior we become, the more tempted we are to rely on what we know instead of questioning it. The best leaders resist this temptation. They continue to ask questions even when they already have answers.

4. Do you have integrity?

Knee jerk response is of course I do how dare you imply otherwise. Wrong response.

Tomas says: 

Integrity is not about never making mistakes, but about having a moral compass. It requires altruistic values and, critically, self-control: the ability to resist temptations, avoid abusing power, and make decisions that benefit the group rather than the individual. 

5. Do you have humility?

Admittedly, claiming to have humility sounds, well, like a lack of humility. Tomas says:

Humility is the underrated secret of leadership. It means knowing what you do not know, being self-critical, and acknowledging when proven wrong. It also means being able to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you in certain areas and not feeling threatened by it...Humility is not a weakness, but an understated strength. Without it, leaders become delusional. With it, they inspire trust.

6. Are you ambitious?

Again admittedly, asking whether you're ambitious sounds kind of dumb. Why else would you want to go into leadership? Not so fast -- Tomas says:

Leaders need drive, energy, and persistence. The crucial distinction is motivation: Why do you want to lead? If your ambition is fueled by power hunger, vanity, or narcissism, you will likely harm others in the process. The right kind of ambition is prosocial. It is about wanting to make others better, to create impact beyond yourself, and to leave a legacy that matters.

7. Do you have people skills?

LOL! Oh sorry. As we note frequently, both Gordy Curphy and Tomas (quoted here) say: 

Leadership is the ability to build and maintain a high-performing team. That requires emotional intelligence: empathy, listening, influence, and conflict resolution.

8. Can you tame your dark side?

(i.e. can you manage yourself) 

We've written about your 'dark side.' This is the part of you that is about legacy preferences, prejudices, petty grievances, the imagined retributions that you would inflict, how you expect to be treated, etc. 

Here is Tomas, who is very astute on this topic: 

For some, it is arrogance. For others, impulsivity, paranoia, or aggression. These “dark side” traits are not inherently bad, since they often fuel ambition and resilience, but when unchecked they derail careers. The difference between great and terrible leaders is not the presence of flaws, but the ability to control them...Some of the best leaders succeed not by being authentic, but by being disciplined versions of themselves.

9. Can you inspire others?

Again this is a topic we have written about. Call it charisma or "executive presence" or charm; you are not born with this, you need to build it like any muscle. A word of warning here: there is a thin line between being charismatic and letting your 'dark side', the previous self-reflection question, out of its litterbox. Note how Tomas closes this insight (emphasis added):

When you are competent and ethical, charisma amplifies your impact. Leaders who can communicate a vision with confidence, passion, and clarity are far more effective at rallying teams. But charisma without substance is dangerous. It can make bad leaders even more destructive by persuading people to follow them off a cliff...Compare that with countless populist leaders whose charisma fuels division and chaos, not to mention charismatic leaders who were utterly destructive (most populist brutal dictators or colorful tyrants fit the bill). If you are ethical and competent, be as magnetic as possible. If you are not, please be boring.

10. Are you coachable?

Since we talk a lot about evolving threats we'll let Tomas sum it up:

The only way to stay relevant is to be coachable: to seek feedback, listen, and adapt. Some of the most successful leaders in history were relentless learners. Leaders who stop learning become rigid, outdated, and irrelevant. Being coachable is not about deference. It is about evolution.

Tomas ends his roster of self-reflection questions with this admonition:

In the end, leadership is not about you. It is about what you do for others. And that is the question worth asking before you chase the title: Do you want to lead for their sake, or yours?

Quoting ourselves, in advice to investors:

Your next cybersecurity leader hire is going to face threats that are evolving. Your insurers and your own investors are expecting you to make the right call on this.

Here is free consulting advice: it's one thing to be swayed by the candidate's charisma as the head of sales but please focus on competence for the head of cybersecurity.

Now reflect again:

Should You Be a Leader?

Ask us how you can either get this promotion right and become the leader who leads for the benefit of others.