The Problem
- “Why don’t they get it?”
- “We can’t get any funding.”
- “Nobody takes security seriously.”
How many times have you said these things? I would wager, if you’ve worked in cybersecurity for more than a year, you’ve either said or heard all three of these statements more times than you can count.
The Answer
The fact is that the answer to all of these problems comes down to one thing and it’s a tough message to hear.
You don’t communicate well.
Don’t get me wrong. You may have an impeccable command of the spoken and written language. You may write important emails and documentation. You may give presentations about important security topics. Those are necessary but insufficient elements of communication. Carefully crafting the contents of your message to your audience is important, and how you present your message is often more important than the message itself.
You may be the best penetration tester, threat analyst, firewall admin, compliance officer, or security systems engineer, but that is only half the battle. To succeed in cybersecurity, you must solve those three problems, and more.
Good communication and negotiation skills lead directly to
- Increased understanding from your peers and leaders.
- Increased buy-in to fund and promote your security efforts.
- Improved relationships which lead to more career opportunities.
It’s simple. Better soft skills lead to better results.