How can you help your team advance their information security careers?

We are proponents of giving people on our team the ability to try out different types of projects and client work, as well as take on research projects. Cybersecurity is such a vast field and I believe in letting people open up the aperture on what is available and allowing them to get different experiences to see what they are good at, but also what they enjoy doing as well. We also use tools to help us understand what type of work we are best suited for, so we can get a better picture of our best and highest use.

A well managed project team should routinely perform assessments to detect and address skill gaps. A question of talent waste can develop if you are moving a niche-skilled team member to other projects that don’t involve their skillsets, but often this can build a better understanding for other positions on the team. This rotation in turn can reinforce the “why” when an organization does things a certain way or even spot inefficiencies to be addressed in the next retrospective. Shadowing doesn’t have to be reserved for new team members.

Security is not about technology or learning the skills of security at first. The personality of an individual is the key. In my opinion, there must be first personality assessment like MBTi. That will help structure your team's ability and potential in the right manner. Second, security is the mind-set. How well we have the ability of critical thinking, ability to identify gaps in real life scenarios.

As the cybersecurity domain is extensive in the breadth of offerings, it's important that first we identify the specific career path that we want to persue like vulnerability testing or Risk management or audit aligned to your competence and interest.

Supporting your team is supporting yourself. As managers, we must ensure that the team performance is keeping up, and this often requires to use the best skills from each team members on the work. Along the way, you'll identify strengths and weaknesses of each of them. It's in your interest to bridge the gap across the teams and offer opportunities to grow.

In today's era, resources are free and overwhelming. This is both, good and bad. Good for those who can understand what to pick and what to discard. Bad for those who find it difficult to create a self-aware roadmap. LinkedIn Learning and other resources are available for consumption. Developing a strong security foundation is primary. Next comes sharpening the saw in specialization.

I always encourage my team to keep learning and invest their time in self development without compromising their productive work hours. Some of the cybersecurity learning resources I recommend to my team are coursera, Udemy, linkedin learning, cybrary which has good collection of cybersecurity training. I also recommend them specific trainings based on their roles and responsibilities. In some of the companies I have worked fortunately and I am thankful to them, they have encouraged self development of the people and teams which foster continuous learning and to achieve career goals. I also encourage them to attend security conferences and webinars, read good books, attend workshops online and offline. This helps them to stay updated.

Information sharing is key to develop skills, so as information gathering. Providing learning resources that were beneficial for you might help your team grow as well. Developing a culture of sharing, exchanging, will help develop a growth dynamic. Some wrongly assume that developing their teams skills will rush their move toward another job, but this will happen even faster if they don't evolve within their existing position. You must offer more opportunities for your team than they can find outside of the organization, this will help your staff retention, more than just pizzas.

When employees learn, the business benefits exponentially. Find out what your employees passions are and support that. If you run a team of system administrators, and one consistently talks about the cloud, get them into a training of AWS/Azure. Even if the business does not currently use those technologies, they may in the future. It also will give employees the ability to see problems from a different perspective.

Right mentorship is critically essential. Today's era is good because majority of the organizations are now have security leaders on the board. This brings the integration of Dev with Sec. The integration of Sec in every process, technology and organizational DNA.

Supporting and helping your team members projects and initiative will create a great dynamic that will inspire you and your collaborators for sure. Avoiding micro management, allowing them to plan their work and working on their project will make a difference. Supporting their project and initiative also means you trust them, so be transparent with them in regards to your expectations, and what's ahead, so as they can also plan accordingly.

I always encourage rewards and recognition to my team who are well deserving. I also support the team initiatives, potential managers and leaders to take up new initiatives, be flexible to let them manage their work and make decisions. I always encourage them to have mentors, sponsors and cross collaborate with other functional teams as cybersecurity is a vast topic and cuts across various areas within the organization be it finance, HR, marketing, sales etc.

Too many professionals speak like walking CISSP textbooks. The CISSP is a theoretical framework that supposes a strong top down organization that has security as #1 priority with employees that won’t quit no matter what. You need to teach your team how to adapt these principles to businesses that have to compete for market share, that have to attract and retain top talent, and that want individuals to participate in decision making.

I have a very different view on this. Let them challenge us to think strategically and creatively. If we push them, the habit of seeking reviews. A true team is a collection of people who are complimenting each other to achieve an overall objective.

As you climb up the ladder, your position within the firm begins to converge with business. One of things in my opinion that needs to be be understood is the value we are creating as cyber proffesionals to the business. Always challenge the findings and security processes to see what value they are creating, and this is also the way to delineate some redundant processes.

Thinking outside the box when it comes to advancing your team's information security career is critical. In order to solve complex problems, you must adapt and think critically, and outside the norm. Anticipating problems before they happen and coming of with potential solutions proactively is a good way of making sure your security posture is on the offensive rather than defensive.

I have always encouraged my team to build their personal brand and network. I recommend them to join the cybersecurity, cloud security communities, groups and start networking within the organization and outside the organization as cybersecurity is a very dynamic and ever evolving field which the team needs to keep pace with so networking always helps to stay updated about latest threats, vulnerabilities and how other organizations are handling the same situation, incident or crisis.

Cannot agree enough. This is another level of motivation and recognition. While they contribute, having that applauded with visibility is a great boost. A consistent hard work and series of achievements must always be the fuel for self brand and social connections.

As a manager, you didn't get there alone, and you are trusted, the same way you trust your team. Encourage them to develop theirs skills and engage with communities in their field. There is nothing more beneficial than having a great dynamic within the community in their field. Exchanges will bring faster learning, more creativity and develop critical mind that is well needed in business to remain competitive. This will also develop passion in the field, and passion is the factor that make a difference in success.

Encourage your team members to share their learning with you and their collaborators. This will raise the knowledge of all, trigger curiosity and potentially develop the passion for others.

I believe that as a leader in the field of information security, it is essential to set a strong example to help your team advance their careers. Demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning and staying updated on the latest trends and technologies will inspire your team to do the same. Foster a culture of knowledge sharing within your team, where team members can learn from each other's experiences.

A successful InfoSec leader knows how to align security with the organization. Many C-Suite leaders view security as a money drain. Teach your team members how appropriately implemented security controls and process assist in data security and instil confidence in existing and future clients. Then show them how to use this as a force to assist with sales and change the view that "Security is a money pit!" into a significant selling factor for the business. Allow your staff to ask questions, mentor where you can and empower them. Encourage them to undertake additional learning or pursue relevant certifications via learning budgets.

You can help your team advance their information security careers by providing mentorship, sharing industry insights, and fostering a supportive and knowledge-sharing environment that encourages continuous learning and professional development among them .

To help your team advance their information security careers, assess their individual interests, provide relevant training, encourage mentorship, assign challenging projects, support self-study, offer regular feedback, recognize outstanding performance, and promote industry networking.