Mansur Hasib - Cybersecurity Leadership: Powering the Modern Organization

Cybersecurity Leadership

Powering the Modern Organization

MANSUR HASIB, D.Sc., CISSP, PMP, CPHIMS

About the Cover

This is the Crested Giant Saguaro at the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona, USA as she stood on December 9, 2012 when I first came upon her. She is not an ordinary cactus tree but a giant saguaro a very special breed of giant cacti found only in the southwestern part of the USA and parts of Mexico. The Saguaro National Forest near Tucson, Arizona is full of these amazing giants. These cacti have some amazing characteristics. They live several hundred years. They mature slowly and deliberately. Their first arms appear in about 50 to 60 years. People have personified and revered them for thousands of years. There are many legends and stories about them.

Though each saguaro is unique, this one is even more special. Only one in about 200,000 saguaros develop a crested arm. Though many theories abound, no one knows why this happens. This is the only giant crested saguaro in this garden. When I came upon this graceful giant, I was awe struck. I spent a long time contemplating her sturdy beauty and grace. I felt that this giant crested saguaro represents to me what leadership is all about. Although this cactus lives in a forest with other distinguished giants where every saguaro is unique and distinct in their own way this particular one has found a way to learn something and to do something which distinguishes her even further. She has developed a crest that no one else in that garden has!

She is subtle about it. She blends in among the hundreds of other giant saguaros. Many people will pass by and never see her unique qualities. She gives shelter to woodpeckers and other little birds just like everyone else. She silently endures the harsh dry desert conditions just like everyone around her. She does not complain about her problems. Instead she solves them. She stores water in her giant body. She protects herself from deer and other animals with her sharp pointed thorns just like everyone else.

She has spread her shallow roots far and wide to quickly capture the little moisture that the sparse rainfalls bring each year. Her roots intertwine with the roots of all the other cacti around her. Together they provide each other the stability and strength they all need to support their tall stature.

She flowers gracefully and bears fruit just like a dutiful member of her flock. Yet, she is an inspiration for all other giant saguaros around her. She is a lucky find for the people who are careful to observe. She reaches for the sky tall and proud and her elegant beauty is difficult to capture in a single photo frame. She motivates others to be even better than they think they are capable of. She encourages us all to develop a crest for ourselves and to do something more meaningful with our lives. What an awesome example of leadership! And that is why she is the only one special enough to be on the cover of my book on leadership!

Third Edition, September 2015

Published in the United States of America by Tomorrows Strategy Today, LLC

Copyright 2015 Mansur Hasib

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1496199278

ISBN-13: 978-1496199270

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all my friends and co-workers. All of you taught me something about leadership. I am thankful for the bond and memories we share.

I specially treasure the amazing number of people with high integrity, ethics, and leadership qualities who worked on my teams. It was my pleasure and privilege to work with you. You taught me what true leadership and teamwork is all about. You were leaders when you needed to be and followers when you needed to be. You solved problems and issues without ever being asked. Your focus was on the solution rather than the assignment of blame. You utilized the talents of other team members to improve the quality of your projects. You learned from and supported your team members and provided constructive feedback and mentorship. Your main focus was the success of the organization and you never worried about who got credit. You took ownership of issues, made decisions, planned how to recover from errors, pointed out problems and solutions, took pride in the quality of your work, innovated at every opportunity and ensured the satisfaction of our clients.

You made work and life fun for me. Each of you have perennially occupied a special place in my heart. You have validated my belief that everyone can be a leader.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to my dear friend for over forty years, Shah M. Hasan, Provost at Virginia International University, Ohio for sparking my passion in the art of leadership during our early teens. Our experiments running the school newspaper Chit Chat at Notre Dame College and the youth organization Centurions International as businesses, and all our deep conversations over the years were instrumental in shaping my inclusive leadership style. Since the days of walking over to the USIS library till today, thanks for pointing out all the leadership books I should read.

Thanks to my friend Kevin Zachery for analyzing my team and leadership styles. Your deep insight and advice has been amazing for us. Your book The Leadership Catalyst, finally gave me the term to describe exactly what I have always believed a leader to be someone who inspires and supports everyone to perform at their highest capability possible while allowing everyone to form bonds, have fun, and enjoy the experience.

Special thanks to some very special people who actively supported my efforts throughout my professional career in information technology leadership: Dean Duncan, Bob Brookshire, Valerie Nash, Hortensia Avina, Patrick South, Mark Kestler, Bill Tsai, Jim Redmond, Matt Henson, Chris Mann, Tom Hogevoll, Barbara Lawson, Jerry King, Celeste Revander-Brown, Toby Ford, Cindy Billovits, Kate Van Name, Rick Langdon, Collin Smith, Sam Sibanda, Regina Denton-Clowser, Joy Horton, Judith Mutinda, Lea Tunajek, Michal Tunajek, Phil Larson, Liz Linton, Regina Gachuhi, Steve Litzenberger, Wynona China, Asiya Cleaveland, Wayne Johnson, Robert Johnson, Shirley Brooks, Catherine Nganga and Wakili Olayiwola.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About The Book

Based on the constructive feedback of esteemed reviewers who reviewed the first edition a thoroughly revised 2 nd edition was published in late 2014. Chapters were added, consolidated, removed and reorganized. This edition provides an index. This book provides a business level understanding of cybersecurity and explains how to lead cybersecurity in any organization. The book also provides a broad understanding of health information technology and cybersecurity in healthcare. It is a valuable resource for executives, students, or anyone interested in gaining an understanding of the field. The book does not require any prior technical or cybersecurity knowledge.

Technology drives the mission of modern organizations today. Cybersecurity strategy has become synonymous with enterprise technology strategy just as technology strategy has become synonymous with organizational strategy. A cohesive implementation of cybersecurity is critical for organizations; it can mean the difference between staying in business and thriving or becoming extinct and irrelevant. Such a strategy can be a hallmark of distinction and a powerful driver of productivity and innovation in an organization.

This book is as much a book on leadership of people in general as it is about cybersecurity leadership. The leadership principles are applicable in any organization. The interconnected articles provide progressive elaboration on the themes of leadership, ethical leadership, and the human governance aspects of leading cybersecurity. These are practical insights from my experience, observations, and research in technology and cybersecurity powered organizational transformations in a wide range of industries such as energy, education, biotechnology, and healthcare.