Leaders by Example

Every security job is different, but the goal is the same: Create business value. In the following pages, five leaders show how they build teams, forge consensus and measure performance to make security far more than a cost center.

By Todd Datz

June 01, 2005 — CSO —

Which of the following best describes a security leader?

A. Someone who views himself as a facilitator among disparate groups.

B. Someone whose strategy is guided by a self-developed formula that analyzes demands on security resources and assesses all relevant risks.

C. Someone who's built a "virtual security organization" with 50 to 60 line-of-business executives around the world.

D. Someone who acts as a bridge builder between security and public safety departments, and security and the boardroom.

E. Someone who believes service in a variety of professional security organizations not only helps the profession but makes him a better security executive.

F. Uh, all of them?

If you answered F, CSO readers, you're right on the money. As we've been noting since the launch of this magazine three years ago, it's becoming harder and harder to offer a one-size-fits-all description of a chief security officer. Why? Because security leaders come in a Baskin-Robbins-like array of flavors, with a huge variety of mix-ins that add different textures and nuances to the final product. They may have responsibility for any number of areas, including corporate security, infosecurity, background checks, disaster recovery, executive protection, fraud prevention, ethics and privacy—you get the picture. The old "geeks and guards" stereotypes may have had more than a faint ring of truth five or 10 years ago, but those days are over.

Each of the answers in our quiz above happens to describe the background of one of the five security leaders we're profiling in our third annual issue examining the evolution of the CSO role: Graham Kee, director of security, Port of Vancouver (A); Lou Magnotti, CISO, U.S. House of Representatives (B); Lisa Johnson, CISO, Nike (C); Mark Barnes, director of safety and security, Kiawah Island Golf Resort (D); and Regis Becker, global director, security and compliance, PPG Industries (E).

These individual profiles represent a departure from our previous CSO role issues, which included stories on topics such as succession planning, security education and how to get hired. This year, we're looking at the role of CSOs from the perspective of five practitioners (three corporate security, two information security) in a variety of industries: shipping, government, apparel, hospitality, and glass, chemical and industrial coatings. These CSOs talk about why they chose the career paths they did and what security—and business—challenges they face in their organizations. Just as no two security leaders are the same, every security job is unique; looking at the profession through five different lenses helps to illuminate the big picture. Our goal is for each reader to be able to glean some insights that will help in present and future positions.