Today's CSO: Business, relationships come first

As many CSOs reach retirement age, organizations find their 21st Century replacements will need a new set of skills and expertise than those who filled the CSO role just a decade ago

By Jeff Snyder

February 28, 2011 — CSO —

As Baby Boomers are leaving the corporate workplace to enjoy their time on the beach, in the mountains and in their RVs traveling across the country, corporate security departments are losing leadership talent more frequently than at any other time in corporate history.

A Global Chief Security Officer recently suggested that in a meeting of financial services CSOs he recently attended, the audience was made up mostly of CSOs who would be retiring in the next one to five years. He especially noticed the demographics in the room because he is fifty years old and is wondering which of his more senior global CSO peer's jobs will open up for him to explore for his own career advancement in the not too-distant-future.

Also see: 4 skills CISOs need now

In the past, the Chief Security Officer role was frequently filled by a retiring FBI, Secret Service, Military or Law Enforcement professional who came to the corporate environment directly from their federal employment. Not only were CSO jobs filled this way but once on board, CSOs much more frequently than their CISO counterparts tended to hire individuals who came from the same agency or unit where the CSO previously worked.

This hiring practice created an environment where disconnects frequently occurred between the corporate security department and the culture of the rest of the business focused organization. Business leaders expected these newly hired CSOs to immediately understand their business needs. How could this possibly happen without a proper mentoring and break-in period?

Business has changed. The dynamics that drive your business have likely changed since your organization hired its last Chief Security Officer. Chances are very strong that the way your company operates today is far more technologically driven than the way your organization conducted business in the past. Today, your organization faces significantly more US Government regulations. If you do business globally, your company must not only be in compliance with rules and regulations that exist in different countries around the world but also knowledgeable of the local cultures in which you do business.

In many companies, the CISO and CSO positions share space at the board room table with 'C' suite executives. A 'C' level security executive must have seasoned business skills, exceptional communication skills and the ability to create security objectives in support of ever-changing business strategic goals.

Who qualifies for a Chief Security Officer job now? A Human Resources Director responsible for identifying candidates for a Converged Chief Security Officer search to head up his companys information security and corporate physical security operations recently shared these comments regarding his expectations for candidates for his CSO job:
-Fit for us is more important than anything else.
-The nature of our business is relationship based.
-How you feel about the person with whom you're doing business is key in our organization.

• Print