Pushkar Tripathi, CPP, PCI, PSP

In recent years, the security threat landscape has undergone a seismic shift, capturing the attention of the entire world. This transformation has ignited a growing interest among young, aspiring security professionals, eager to explore security management as a promising career avenue. The primary objective of this session is to provide these emerging talents with a comprehensive view of the security industry, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and insights necessary to thrive in this dynamic field. 

One of the foremost aspects that will be addressed is the evolving nature of security challenges. In today’s interconnected world, security professionals face many threats, ranging from cyberattacks and data breaches to physical security concerns. By delving into these challenges, the session aims to prepare young individuals for the multifaceted responsibilities they will bear as security professionals. 

Furthermore, the session will emphasize the essential personality traits, skills, and knowledge required in the security industry. Adaptability, critical thinking, and a commitment to continuous learning are some of the traits that will be highlighted. Skills such as risk assessment, crisis management, and technology proficiency are vital tools in a security professional’s arsenal. Moreover, an in-depth understanding of security principles, laws, and regulations will be emphasized as foundational knowledge. 

A significant focal point of the session will be the role of ASIS board certification in career progression. ASIS International is a globally recognized organization that offers certifications tailored to security professionals. The session will elucidate how achieving these certifications can propel one’s career forward and enhance career credibility. 

Another critical aspect to be addressed is the common mistakes that young professionals often make during their tenure. By learning from the experiences of seasoned security experts, attendees can avoid pitfalls and navigate their careers more effectively. These insights will include guidance on decision-making, communication, and professional ethics. 

By the conclusion of this enlightening session, young professionals will emerge with a wealth of knowledge and motivation. They will be empowered to make informed career decisions, aspire to become seasoned security professionals, and chart a course toward leadership roles in the security industry. With a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the security field, these emerging talents will be well-equipped to embark on a successful and fulfilling journey in security management.

You can watch Pushkar Tripathi’s full presentation along with three others in the GSX 2023 Career HQ leadership collection.

Benjamin Davila

All of us likely know someone who suffers from a mental illness, potentially even someone at risk of injury to themselves or others. It’s also highly likely that some of us here are those very same people. The statistics speak for themselves, for 19.86% of adults experience a mental illness, which is the equivalent of nearly 50 million Americans. And out of that 19.86%, 4.91% are experiencing a severe mental illness, one that is likely to be a direct cause of injury.  

US Surgeon General Vivek Murphy, MD writes that “A healthy workforce is the foundation for thriving organizations and healthier communities,” and that “as we recover from the worst of the pandemic, we have an opportunity and the power to make workplaces engines for mental health and well-being”, my sessions discuss the unequivocal importance of a culture of acceptance and understanding in the workplace. The workplace itself must be held responsible for safeguarding the mental health of those it employs. Employees routinely are afraid of being honest about their struggles with their colleagues or supervisors for fear of losing employment or judgement, and therefore mental health education in the workplace can ensure that everyone can support those around them and be supported in turn to create an inclusive and safe space of employment. 

This not only allows people to feel happier in their personal lives but also positively affects people’s ability to perform well consistently at work too. It isn’t about trying to fix everything; it’s about ensuring a workplace is mindful of well-being and support to others. 

Transparency is crucial to this consistency, and that has to begin at the very top of organizations in order to reach those at every rung of the ladder. Managers should be leading by example on this front as with every other, confidently tackling those difficult conversations with compassion and honesty. Starting with small things like reminding people of their right to take time off work or encouraging lunch breaks away from work phones can seem small, but the message they express is powerful. Mental health training allows people the confidence to support their employees in the way they deserve and can help organizations further highlight the policies and mechanisms they need to improve upon to support the people that work for them. They aren’t just helpful, they are imperative. And they are needed now. 

You can watch Benjamin Davila’s full presentation along with two others in the GSX 2023 Career HQ skill-building collection.

Jonathan Perillo, CPP, PCI, PSP

One of the biggest hurdles that I faced when I began working in more senior roles was communicating effectively with executives. These exchanges were nothing like I’d experienced before, especially grasping how much information is exchanged in such a short time, which can dumbfound professionals at all levels. It takes time and effort to master these interactions. Whether it’s perfecting your executive vernacular, preparing your “elevator pitches,” or giving a noteworthy presentation, one thing is clear: executives communicate differently. This is made abundantly clear in the tools that executives use to communicate, like PowerPoints. Understanding this difference is key to the success of every senior security executive, as failing to effectively communicate with other executives could be detrimental to a department and a person’s career, regardless of the quality of topics being presented.  

I chose to focus on the PowerPoint aspect of presenting for three primary reasons. Firstly, security professionals who are developing their career will be invited to give input to executive presentations or be asked to create these presentations long before they are invited to give them. Being able to provide valuable input during these times can be a key contributing factor to a person’s professional journey.

Secondly, even the most persuasive speaker has difficulty overcoming an inadequate PowerPoint during formal executive presentations. PowerPoints are not only a tool, but they are a required and expected aspect of these exchanges, especially when dealing with executives. The expression “a picture speaks a thousand words” demonstrates the impact of a PowerPoint during what is supposed to be a somewhat brief interaction, and an ill-prepared PowerPoint requires an amount of showmanship that would be difficult to achieve, even for the most experienced of presenters.

Lastly, equipping security professionals around the world with these tools allows them to not only communicate with their leadership teams more effectively, but also elevates the security function within an organization. By communicating with executives in the same means as they communicate to others ensures that security professionals are seen as peers and advocates, elevating the value of the presenter and their department. 

“Presenting Like an Executive: PowerPoints” will help security professionals of all levels to understand and recognize this difference and will equip them with tools to help them avoid common pitfalls in their presentations by recognizing the need for certain fundamental concepts. Embracing these concepts will create not only more personal and departmental success but will lead to more meaningful exchanges and championing of ideas with executive groups. 

I’m very excited to have been invited to speak on this topic, and I can’t wait to engage with security professionals and hear how they’ve been able to leverage these understandings and concepts in their own presentations! 

You can watch Jonathan Perillo’s full presentation along with two others in the GSX 2023 Career HQ skill-building collection.

Lida Citroën

For decades, being good at your job, not making waves and having adequate technical skills grew your career. Today, that’s not enough. 

Today, professionals who’re rising to the senior-most ranks of the organization yield a strong personal brand, the ability to influence and create measurable impact. No longer is competency the standard. Tomorrow’s leaders must lead from the front, and seen, to command respect, inspiration and sustainable sway. 

Stand up to stand out 

Let’s break down how influence works: While traditional models of influence building focused heavily on smart communication, executive presence and even pedigree, modern influence looks different. Rank, authority, title, job description, age, or gender no longer determine one’s level of influence. Some of the most ineffective managers have the title, and young female entrepreneurs who lack the pedigree and age of their more powerful counterparts, can move nations. 

Influence means selling a vision. To be influential requires a cogent and passionate idea – the mission – and an unwavering commitment to see that idea come to life. Along the way, the influential person supports and encourages others, embraces diversity of thought and person, and shares a real passion to see the company, process, team or industry a better way.  

The influential leader curates a personal brand which wraps their vision around non-negotiable core principles and values. While process, timing and recognition are up for grabs, values are not. In this way, the influential leader has earned credibility that makes them trustworthy, heard, understood and supported as they influence those around them.  

As security professionals you are in the trust business. When times are smooth, you’re trusted to keep the ship steady and pointed towards safe harbors. When times are challenging, it’s your reputation, confidence, credibility, and experience that enlists the support needed to keep the enterprise protected.  

To stand up and stand out requires bravery and realness that’s authentic and sustaining. Your ability to earn and keep trust comes from your unwavering belief in what you believe is right, for the organization and it’s people. 

Take the risk. Let people see your flaws and hopes and dreams. Show them why they should trust you and follow your recommendations; don’t just expect them to. Listen and learn from people around you and watch your world become richer and more impactful as your impact takes hold to make your life – and those around you – better.

You can watch Lida Citroën’s full presentation along with one other in the GSX 2023 Career HQ networking collection.

John Rodriguez

Building on last year’s GSX in Atlanta session Empathic Security Cultures for a Great Place to Work, in this year’s security culture session I focused on the Security Culture Building Journey and Personal Characteristics to Succeed centering around the eight character attributes in my Security Culture Professional’s Attributes Model^TM – Fairness, Innovation, Tenacity, Respect, Credibility, Vulnerability as well as being Perceptive, and Engaging.  Many in the corporate world might see these as soft skills – “soft” being a debatable term. Soft vs. hard skills, i.e., accounting, business processes, IT programming, etc. vs human connection attributes? Are having hard skills primary vs. soft skills? I suggest they are symbiotic in general, but in the corporate security sector, I would argue that soft skills are primary.  The hard skills – I’d suggest thinking of them as science – security technology, (video, intrusion, access), ESRM, policy/procedure, training, etc., are complex and require extensive knowledge, experience, and deep understanding to produce comprehensive and resilient products, services, and, most importantly, the right results for business resiliency and growth.  However, I’d suggest the Art of Human Connection is relatively more challenging to build and maintain a regenerative security culture.  The science part of our profession is mostly linear – there’s a beginning, middle, and end, and the human aspect is non-linear, ever-changing, frustrating, and yet exhilarating at times – why? Because we’re all complex human beings that make up our workforces.  

I coach and mentor my clients to reframe “soft skills” as “character attributes”.  What sets security professionals apart is the ability to connect and develop relationships based on trust – and that means each and every single interaction you have with anyone in the company, from the third shift cleaning crew to the C-Suite can be impactful and memorable based on how your treat people – how you made them feel and how you served them.  If and how we understand, model, and apply the abovementioned 8 characteristics impacts how all employees view us, first as people, then as their security representative, and finally, ideally, as a trusted business partner who prioritizes the care for and protection of people. Meaning their person, their personal property, and now, an opportunity to contribute to the protection of employees’ psychological and emotional safety in terms of supporting a respectful and courteous workplace that includes a stigma-busting mental health/wellness philosophy.  Understanding and thinking of people having both physical and emotional/mental health make-up that are both equally important is how we develop security cultures. 

Lastly, embracing character attributes that are part of your personality and innate make-up that come naturally, more than seeing soft skills as something that can be learned, kept on your “soft skill” tool belt to be summoned at a moment’s notice is the differentiator.  We all have a natural unconscious survival radar constantly assessing people and situations to determine if they present a physical or emotional “threat or reward” and a “towards or away” response.  My SCPA Model also stresses how critical first impressions are when interacting with people.  Our internal radars can sense if you are inauthentically putting on a soft skill mask or if you genuinely, innately care.

You can watch John Rodriguez’s full presentation along with two others in the GSX 2023 Career HQ skill-building collection.