Leading Better with Decentralized Command--How CISO’s Lead Teams..or should---5 ways to lead, better.

Critical Insight 1: Empowerment Without Alignment Leads to Chaos

I'm all for empowering teams. In fact, I'm a big believer that your team should feel like they own their work. But here's the kicker: empowerment must have alignment to quickly become chaos. I've seen teams encouraged to make decisions independently, only to run in 10 different directions because they weren't clear on the company's broader purpose.

?For example, you're strengthening your organization's cybersecurity posture. One team may focus on compliance, while another zero in on threat detection, and yet another dive into securing cloud services. All these are valuable tasks, but you'll have a mess if the teams aren't aligned on the company's primary goal—minimizing business risk, ensuring uptime, or protecting customer data.

?Empowerment works best when teams understand why they're doing what they're doing, not just what they're doing. That's where a centralized purpose comes in.

?Critical Insight 2: Clear Purpose Drives Faster, More Effective Decision-Making

Conversely, when your teams are aligned around a clear, centralized purpose, they can make faster, more effective decisions. They don't have to run every choice up the chain of command for approval because they know how their actions tie into the organization's strategic goals.

I remember working with a CISO leading a large team responsible for managing their company's cybersecurity. He allowed them to make decisions independently but regularly reinforced a clear, unified goal: protecting the business from the top three cybersecurity risks they had identified. It was simple, but it worked. His team didn't waste time debating what mattered most—they knew the purpose, which empowered them to move quickly and confidently in the right direction.

How can you achieve a balance between decentralized command and centralized purpose in your organization? Let me share three recommendations that have worked well in my experience.

?Recommendation 1: Overcommunicate the Purpose

You've probably heard this before, but it bears repeating—you can't communicate your purpose enough. If you think you've said it too many times, you probably still haven't said it enough. Ensure every team, from your developers to your security analysts, understands the company's primary goal. Be clear and consistent, whether that's to reduce risk, protect sensitive data, or improve uptime.

?Refrain from relying on emails or slide decks to convey the message. Discuss the purpose in meetings, one-on-ones, and company-wide updates. It needs to be a regular conversation, not a one-off mention.

?Recommendation 2: Give Teams the Right Guardrails

Empowering your teams doesn't mean letting them run free without any boundaries. It's about giving them the autonomy to make decisions within the proper framework. Establish clear guardrails that align with your centralized purpose. For example, specific guidelines around data protection protocols or vendor management should be set, but flexibility should be allowed in how teams implement those guidelines.

?This way, teams can operate independently but work toward the same end goal. The guardrails keep them aligned without micromanaging every move.

?Recommendation 3: Measure What Matters

Lastly, make sure you're measuring the right things. It's easy to get lost in the weeds when managing multiple teams, but tracking critical metrics tied to your centralized purpose will help keep everyone on track. If your top goal is to reduce cyber risk, focus on metrics like the number of incidents avoided, response times, or the cost of security breaches. If it's about system uptime, track that religiously.

?The key is ensuring that whatever metrics you use are directly tied to your broader purpose. When teams know how they're being measured, it reinforces the alignment between their day-to-day tasks and the company's strategic goals.

?Empowering your teams while maintaining alignment isn't easy, but it's essential. Decentralized command works best when it's anchored by a centralized purpose. By overcommunicating the goal, giving your teams the proper guardrails, and measuring what truly matters, you can strike that balance—and watch your teams thrive.

?It's a tightrope walk for sure, but trust me, it's one worth mastering

?5 Ways to Implement

How do you ensure alignment when teams are working remotely or across different locations?

Ensuring alignment in remote or distributed teams requires clear and consistent communication, as well as the right tools and processes. Here are a few strategies:

• Frequent check-ins: Use daily stand-ups or weekly meetings to ensure everyone is aligned with the centralized purpose, especially across different time zones.
• Shared dashboards and documentation: Make the organization’s goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and priorities visible to everyone using tools like shared dashboards, project management platforms, or wikis.
• Unified culture and values: Reinforce the company’s core values and purpose during all-hands meetings, onboarding, and through regular leadership communication. This helps create a strong sense of direction, even in decentralized teams.

What are some practical examples of effective guardrails for cybersecurity teams?

Guardrails help set boundaries for autonomous teams, guiding their decision-making without restricting creativity. Some examples for cybersecurity teams include:

• Security frameworks: Implementing compliance requirements like ISO 27001 or NIST can provide structure while giving teams the freedom to choose how they meet these standards.
• Incident response protocols: Define clear protocols for handling incidents, such as the required steps, communication channels, and responsibilities, but allow teams to customize how they carry out detection and response.
• Vendor management policies: Create rules for evaluating third-party vendors' security but let teams decide the technical tools and methods to assess compliance.

How do you balance empowering teams with avoiding micromanagement?

The key is to trust your teams and focus on outcomes rather than the process. Here are a few ways to find that balance:

• Delegate responsibility, not tasks: Give teams ownership of goals and objectives, and then allow them to decide how best to achieve them.
• Set clear expectations: Communicate what success looks like and the metrics that matter, but refrain from telling teams how to execute their work.
• Use regular check-ins, not constant oversight: Schedule regular touchpoints to review progress, offer support, and ensure alignment without being overbearing.

How do you measure alignment beyond traditional metrics like incidents or uptime?

Measuring alignment requires looking at both qualitative and quantitative factors:

• Employee engagement and feedback: Regularly survey your teams to gauge their understanding of the company’s purpose and whether they feel aligned with it. Conduct anonymous pulse surveys or one-on-one check-ins.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Track how well teams collaborate with other departments. Aligned teams should have smooth communication and cooperation with other units working toward the same goal.
• Decision-making autonomy: Evaluate how effectively teams make decisions that are in line with the company’s centralized purpose without needing constant senior leadership intervention.

What are the best ways to handle teams or individuals that resist aligning with the centralized purpose?

Handling resistance requires both communication and accountability:

• Understand the root cause: Take the time to understand why there’s resistance. It might be a lack of clarity, conflicting priorities, or a lack of trust in leadership. Open up a dialogue to address these concerns.
• Reinforce the purpose: Continue to communicate the importance of alignment to the broader company mission. Use storytelling or success examples to show how alignment drives success.
• Offer coaching and support: If resistance persists, offer individual coaching or additional training to help teams or individuals better understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture.
• Address misalignment directly: If misalignment continues, it may be necessary to revisit roles and responsibilities, ensuring that those who cannot align are moved to areas where they can contribute effectively, or even take more serious corrective action if needed.

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