100th Episode: Six Mentorship Questions with Two Top Leaders

The New CISO

In this episode of The New CISO, Steve is joined by returning guests Michael Meis, Associate CISO at The University of Kansas Health System, and Mark Weatherford, the Chief Strategy Officer at The National Cybersecurity Center.

For the 100th episode, Mark and Michael are back to share their thoughts on decision-making, mentorship, learning, and leadership, amongst other topics essential to the security industry. Tune into today’s episode to learn more about the career opportunities Mark and Michael didn’t take, how to measure your journey and the importance of an effective team.

Listen to Steve, Michael, and Mark discuss managing stress while diving head-first into challenging situations and how to maximize the growth of junior team members:

Welcome Back (1:32)

Jumping in, Steve presses returning guests Mark and Michael on the most interesting career opportunities they didn’t take.

While in the navy, Mark received a call transferring him to Virginia for a promotion. Although he did not want to go, this transfer was great for him.

For Michael, when he was in the army, he turned down a promotion multiple times. He decided early on in his career that the military would not be his long-term career.

Sound Career Advice (13:04)

Determining when you feel fulfilled professionally allows you to make better career choices. Although our goals evolve, it’s important to reevaluate our priorities at different life stages.

From a leadership perspective, it’s valuable to not think of yourself as the most intelligent person in the room but instead surround yourself with people who can fill in the gaps in your skillset. Leaders need their junior-level colleagues to succeed, and giving these employees real responsibilities allows them to transition into more significant roles.

Best Mentorship Books (21:30)

Mark and Michael share the books they would recommend to new and future leaders. These books are worthwhile resources that help prepare CISOs to take on higher-level work when it is presented.

New To The Job (28:02)

Mark and Michael explore what new CISOs should assess when new to running their teams.

It’s essential to determine if you have good people who have lacked effective mentorship or if your organization lacks talent. Ultimately, you must ensure you have the right employees to succeed.

Ultimately, you need to see if people add value or not in a crisis.

Owning A Crisis (35:40)

Steve presses Mark and Michael on their leadership perspective in a crisis.

Mark reflects on an experience involving the government, where one of his employees took ownership of their security breach. Mark is still in touch with this colleague today and credits his help resolving a high-level issue.

Michael reflects on a junior analyst who quickly worked his way up because he had a can-do attitude. The best career advice is to take work off of other’s plates because the people you help will never forget.

Staying Grounded (40:46)

To close, Steve asks Mark and Michael a more individualized question. What helps them stay grounded during stressful times in the field?

For Mark, he admits he’s not great at taking a step back from work. He is passionate about the business and understands a 9-5 clock would not work for most security professionals. He can manage his stress, but he knows he lacks life balance. Though to relax, he keeps honey bees.

Michael encourages everyone to eliminate the preconceived notion that this path is like other jobs. Security professionals are all-in on their work and must decide what balance means to them. For Michael, he does meditation to center himself and regulate the physical manifestations of stress.

Links mentioned:

Michael Meis LinkedIn

Mark Weatherford Linkedin