The New Frontier Of Cyber-Defender Development

As I went through O'Hare Airport today I traveled from Terminal B to Terminal C. As all of us who have done so have found, there is a cool moving walkway with a soothing LED lightshow overhead. Near the end of the moving walkway is this announcement:

The moving walkway is about to end.

As a manager you used to hire new cyber-defenders right out of college, the military, or from other companies, and they basically knew what to do. Your responsibility was to train them on how they do things at your employer. Then they usually got the picture and more of them were at least minimally successful.

The moving walkway is about to end.

We talk a lot about "TAU" at Pythia Cyber, an acronym we/Brendan developed that stands for talent acquisition and upskilling. We also have discussed the four pillars of building a successful cyber-defense team: Talent, Organization, Engagement, and Development. And we've highlighted what Bhushan Sethi says about how AI will, well, obliterate the entry-level (as a starter) part of your cyber-function. Last week we also noted seven prognostications from Jaime Teevan about the AI-enabled future of work. 

It occurred to me that your 'moving walkway' of career development expectations is about to end.

Here are some thoughts and assignments about that.

To-do for managers:

1. Hire for talent.

Your previous attempts at hiring were based on resume & credential reviews. You must stop that, now, because (even taken at face value) those are about past accomplishments. Your new "entry-level" hires are going to face a cyber workplace never seen before. 

2. Leverage the organization's AI to do the "development" for you. 

Teevan said that the AI would capture meetings, record who was accessing what and what questions were asked, etc. Lean into these functionalities as on-prem training tools.

3. Be ridiculously intentional about mentoring new hires. 

I attended a panel presentation very recently put on by a large well-known consulting company regarding the AI-enabled future of work. The panelists were highly experienced implementers of AI-oriented change from both technical and organizational perspectives. From their perspective, AI was good because users had the "expertise and judgment" to know when AI answers made sense, when more was needed, etc. Then there was Q&A. I asked about what happens when we replace entry-level hires with AI -- how do people develop "expertise and judgment"? The answers ranged from "gee that's a good question" (DUH) to "use mentoring" to [consultant throat-clearing to kill time while trying to sound smart].

In short we don't get "expertise and judgment" when we don't intentionally develop it. The moving walkway (of learning in the job) is about to end. It's now entirely on your to-do list as a manager. 

Actually it always was on your to-do list but you got away with not doing it. So, sorry not sorry.

To-do for employees:

1. Be brutally honest with yourself about what development you need.

Sorry, that certificate you have is outdated and no one cares after you get hired and the development budget was zeroed out. Figure out before you start your job what you need to develop to make a positive impression on your boss, because yes you too can be replaced by AI.

2. Be ridiculously intentional about getting a mentor who will challenge you to grow. 

Your new mentor is not there to be your friend. They must be willing to tell you, kindly, that your work product needs to improve in specific ways. That person will be there for you but only if you catch up.

3. Leverage the organization's AI to do the "development" with you. 

Same as above, except note change of prepositions. The AI is your friend. Treat it as a master teacher -- but NOT as a mentor.

The moving walkway is about to end. Now go to your gate and get ready to take off.

Ask us how you can develop a plan for development of the talent you just paid for.