Richard Bird, Chief Customer Information Officer, Ping Identity

I am very excited to have Richard Bird as our CyAlliance Birds of a Feather interview today!

Richard is the Chief Customer Information Officer for Ping Identity. He is a cyber security veteran, a former chief information security officer and a former chief information officer. An internationally recognized data privacy and identity-centric security expert and global speaker, Richard leverages his diverse experiences as a strategic advisor, solutions provider and former global head of identity for JP Morgan Chase’s consumer businesses to challenge current notions about cybersecurity. Richard is a frequent speaker on keynote platforms around the world and typically presents between 50 and 60 times per year. He is a Forbes Tech council member and has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, Business Insider, CNN, TechRepublic, Solutions Review, and the NYSE on topics ranging from data protection regulations to cybersecurity enabled consumer protection. He also is widely known for wearing bow ties and while he probably is not the most tattooed person in cyber security today, he at least has to be in the top 5%. ??

So let's get started!

So Richard - Let's get through these "QuickFire Q and A" questions!!!

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Q:     Whether you are working virtually or at the office, what time do you start or go to work each day? 

A:     I’ve been an early riser ever since I joined the military. I start my mornings at 5:30 a.m. and I grab a coffee and toast and start reading the news and responding to the overnight emails from Australia or Europe. After about an hour and a half, I run to my local gym and get an hour of class instruction in and then get ready to start the workday.

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Q:    How do you personalize your office? Is there anything that is unique? 

A:   Well, both my office and my work from home space incorporate the things that motivate me; music and whiskey! My wife and I travel all over the world to music festivals and I have a number of posters and signed music memorabilia that we’ve collected from the 40 or so festivals we’ve gone to. I started collecting whiskey a long time ago and I have bits and pieces of barware and promo items that your naturally accumulate. They remind me that I’m working for something; that next festival and that next bottle to share with friends and family.

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Q:     Would you describe yourself as creative?  

A:     I’m creative, but I really stink at the guitar, the banjo, and at drawing. I learned a long time ago that the creative talent that I am pretty decent at, is storytelling. And it is a skill that pretty much defines my career. I started out in technology being the “universal translator”, taking complex technical topics and turning them into stories that the business could understand. If anyone has seen my keynote presentations these days, they will recognize my storytelling approach. I use it almost every day in my effort to help people understand the importance of protecting both people and data in the digital universe.

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Q:     Do you have any quirky daily rituals? 

A:     It would have to be toast using bread from the local baker, Bonne Maman strawberry jam and KerryGold butter -- every single morning for breakfast. It has to be that combination and if it isn’t, my whole day is thrown off. 

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Q:     What keeps you up at night? 

A:     My cats. My kids are all grown and I was never really a cat guy, but my wife loves them and we have these two tiny little munchkin cats who think 3 a.m. is play time. And Active Directory that hasn’t been hygiened in years. And a repeat of the same basic security errors in the cloud that we had 15 years ago in our data centers. And data privacy regulations without any requirement to also protect the actual citizen or consumer. But, mostly my cats.

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Q:    What is the characteristic you most look for and admire in those that work with you? Most dislike? 

A:     Self-awareness. Full stop. I learned this lesson in the military a long time ago. I had an instructor who told me that the person most likely to do me harm in the battle zone wasn’t the enemy, but the buddy next to me in my fox hole who wasn’t paying attention. Self-awareness at the individual level is one of the critical elements to being a great member of a team. I can’t admire leaders that aren’t able to turn things over to great talent and then be willing to abdicate all credit for the results. You have to let people shine and let them take the spotlight in order for them to grow. Being a leader isn’t about you, it’s about everyone else.

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Q:     Do you use social media?

A:     I really do, but like many people I’ve found the channels and outlets that work best for me. Personally, I find that I’m posting less and less about my opinions and thoughts and leveraging things like Instagram to share what I’m doing. Facebook just isn’t a valuable platform for problem solving. On the professional side, LinkedIn has become my most preferred channel and this year. I’ve really begun to leverage tools like MeetEdgar to help me stay on top of my numbers. Since a large part of my role is being an advocate for identity-centric security and privacy, learning how to really capitalize on the potential of social media is vital. I still stink at it, but I’m learning.

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Q:     What accomplishment are you most proud of? 

A:     Personally, it would be just having had the opportunity to be a positive difference in people’s lives. Whether that is my children or my parents or the amazing group of dear friends I have collected all over the world or someone I met in the next seat on the airplane. I think professionally, it is the same thing. I’m proud of the small role that I’ve played in creating opportunities for people that they then have been able to turn into amazing careers.

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Q:     What is your greatest extravagance? 

A:     Things on four wheels that only work 50% of the time. I have a vehicle problem, but not for cool exotic super cars. I spend a bit too much money on old cars that take a lot of care and love to keep running. Since I moved away from Ohio, I’ve been selling those off and transferred my resources to 4-wheel drive vehicles. They are definitely way more dependable than my older cars, but I’m always off buying some new piece or upgrade for them.

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Q:     What is the most overrated security technology? Most underrated? 

A:     Ah, great (and tough) question. At the risk of making a lot of people mad, I’d say all security technologies are currently overrated. The reason is that they all exist because we can’t do one simple thing in security. We can’t prove that you are who you say you are. The reason we have so many overlapping security solutions, and that we still see escalating bad outcomes, is because we can’t authenticate users with a high degree of certainty. If we were 99% sure that you are who you say you are every single time at the beginning, middle and end of your time in-session, the need for so much other security spend would drop dramatically. I’m obviously hugely biased though, because I believe identity related technologies are grossly underrated. I’m out there trying to make identity-centric security our new model and architecture; and I believe it is the key to real change.

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Q:     What is the soundtrack for your career? 

A:     Now there is a hard question! I think I’d have to go with the Bonnaroo 2017 playlist. That year at Bonnaroo we saw U2 in their only festival set ever along with Muse and The Red Hot Chili Peppers and then on into Chance The Rapper and The Weeknd. We caught Alt-J and Cold War Kids, Portugal. The Man and then Major Lazer and Illenium and so many others. I think the variety of experiences at Roo that year really sums up my career. Great people, great friends, chance meetings and encounters that turned into amazing memories. Yeah – that would be a perfect soundtrack.

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Q:     What book are you currently reading? 

A:     I’m writing a book called “Stop Sucking at Corporate Politics”. It is really meant to be a guidebook for everyone who is frustrated or trying to pick their way through the complexities of organizational politics. I spent more than a decade working in one of the most political corporate environments on earth and I didn’t just learn how to tolerate it, but how to harness it for good. I’m hoping that by shining a light on the mechanics and means of personal and corporate politics in the workplace maybe we can create more productive teams and better results and outcomes for everyone.

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Q:     Are there any things, through your career, you’ve been especially glad to no longer do? 

A:     Not. Carry. The. Bat. Phone. 

 I did a brief stint as an infrastructure director. God love the people that have to run the steam engines in technology, but it about pushed me off the deep end. No one knows your name until the engine breaks and then, everyone has your number. I absolutely do not miss jumping from one Sev-1 bridge line to an executive briefing Sev-1 bridge line to another Sev-1 call with the solution provider. 

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Q:     What was your favorite job and why?

A:     I have it now – truly a dream job. I know it is a dream job, because all of my closest colleagues are like “where can I get a job like that”. It is my favorite job for two reasons. First, I really and truly feel that I am helping move the needle forward just a little in helping in the fight to make things better in cyber security. The second is that I have an executive team like no other – my CEO said when he hired me that he wanted me to focus 50% of my time on solving the biggest challenges our customers face and 50% of my time “out there” trying to make things better for everyone. And he’s been a man of his word, he’s had my back since day one as I’ve traveled around the world trying to help in the fight. Pretty hard to think of a better job anywhere.

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Q:     How do you like to relax after work? 

A:     Two ways. I live in an incredible neighborhood in Denver and within a couple of block radius we know all the bartenders, most of the restaurant owners and tons of locals. Just being in my community with a great cocktail is about as relaxing as it can get. The second way is capitalizing on the fact that the first hiking trail on the Front Range of the Rockies is 20 minutes from our urban life. We’ve got an adventure van and we jump in it all the time and just pull out the chairs and soak it all in.

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Q:     How do you create Work/Life Balance?  Is there such a thing?

A:     I think that work/life balance is elusive because it isn’t, yet, a fully formed idea. Recently, I’ve done something I’ve never done and stepped out and shared my personal story of being part of a diverse family for 30 years on my LinkedIn profile. When I made that move, I really understood how we misapply work/life balance in our companies. Work/life balance isn’t making sure that I take my vacation time or not work into the wee hours of the morning regularly. Work/life balance is creating harmony between my personal life and beliefs and my career obligations and expectations. Ping Identity doesn’t force me to make compromises between what I believe and what I must be during work hours. That’s work/life balance.

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Q:     Which would you choose for lunch? Tacos, Salad, Burgers or Sushi?

A:     We have a little place around the corner that makes a killer Seared Ahi Tuna Taco – so I’m going with SushiTaco.

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Q:     Which words or phrases do you use too often? 

A:     Pretty much every word in the profanity dictionary. I’m not proud of my use of course language, but I own it. So much so that in the early days of my speaking career, I usually would stop at the mid-way point and say “I’d just like to let everyone that I’m really pleased I haven’t dropped a single f-bomb, so far.”

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Q:     Planes, Trains and Automobiles -- What is your favorite way to travel?  Do you have a favorite destination?

A:     Planes, without a doubt. I fly a lot and even though air travel is in no way convenient or enjoyable in the way that it used to be, with a little effort and a lot of miles you learn how to make it work. An eye mask here, a pillow and blanket arrangement there and early boarding privileges (I mean really, it is the only thing that you get as a frequent flier anymore) and there is nothing like getting in the air and getting there.

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Q:     If you could try out any job for a day, what would you choose and why?

A:     An EDM DJ in Ibiza! No, seriously – my career exit plan is to produce electronic music. My love for music is only limited by my lack of time to pursue it. But it is something that I really want to embrace in my next chapter of living. And if I’m only getting that job for a day, I’m definitely going to Ibiza.

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Q:     What would you say to your 18-year old self? 

A:     So many things. Another life disclosure that few in my professional life know about is that I was a teenage father. 18 years old actually. I’d tell my 18-year-old self that a setback isn’t the same as a failure. I’d tell him that being a dad (which I am now, four times over) will be the single most important thing you will ever do, but you will mess it up over and over again. I’d tell him what you think you will be isn’t the same as where you will go – and where you will go will be much more interesting. And I’d definitely tell him to seek out people that see more potential in you than you see in yourself. Those people will be the difference makers in your life… and they have been.

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Q:     What is your Superpower and why?

A:     Preparedness. Because I was a non-traditional technologist when I came into IT and cyber security, I found myself having to explain my abilities a lot and sometimes, over and over again. I realized that I would never be the smartest person in any room I was in, that I wouldn’t be the fastest person, that I wouldn’t be the cleverest or the best leader. But the one thing I could do was be the most prepared. That superpower has been my difference maker.

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Q:     If you could share one tip with the world, what would it be? 

A:     If you really want to live a life well lived, understand that it isn’t about you – it is about everyone else.

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Thank you so much for you time Richard. I enjoyed, as always, catching up and hearing more about your world. You are an amazing leader and friend - and I thank you for taking the time to give us some insight to "you" as a person! I absolutely love the amount of details you shared and our readers - I know - will feel the same way!

If you would like to read more about Richard's background - here is his Linkedin Profile!

If you would like to be a part of the CyAlliance Birds of a Feather series - just let me know! We are looking for anyone that wants to share! You do not have to be a CISO, CIO, or "C" anything! Just someone that wants to be a part of being #BeingBetterTogether!

Cheers!

#DoWhatYou Love #LoveWhatYouDo

Tammy Moskites, CEO/Founder, CyAlliance

#BringingCyALLIANCEsTogether