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Tag: Coaching

IT Security Manager Responsibilities

What are the day-to-day responsibilities of an IT Security Manager?

An IT Security Manager is a technology professional who oversees the security of an organization’s information systems and networks. They are responsible for planning, implementing, and monitoring security policies and procedures to protect the organization from cyber threats and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards.

An IT Security Manager requires a combination of technical skills, such as knowledge of network security, encryption, firewalls, antivirus software, etc., and soft skills, such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, etc. An IT Security Manager typically has a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity or equivalent business experience. They may also have relevant certifications (CISSP, CISM, Security+, CASP+, CEH, etc.) to demonstrate specific skills and knowledge. An IT Security Manager may work for various types of organizations, such as government agencies, corporations, nonprofits, educational institutions, etc., depending on their industry and size.

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Creating a Collaborative Team Culture

Building a successful team is the greatest thing a manager can do in business. You can’t have innovation without collaboration. To have a team that collaborates you must have an environment that encourages open and honest communication, transparent leadership, and using the correct tools.

Use the Proper Tools

People fear and resist change. Don’t let fear of change in your team, department, or company disrupt progress and true innovation. Get the correct tools that allows everyone to work together and make sure everyone uses the tools, which means making sure everyone gets the proper training. You know what tools they need, and it is your job to get those tools and make them available to your entire team.

Communication is Essential

You need to encourage you team to talk amongst themselves, but also with other people. Don’t be so quick to judge them when you seem them talking in the break room while getting a cup of coffee, or joking around with their co-workers by the copier. This communication can build friendships and emotional bonds within the company that makes formal project communications easier and helps fortify trust with their co-workers.

Transparent Leadership

People distrust people who keep things secret from them, and that is just human nature. If you want people to trust you, then you have to bring them into the conversation and share as much information with them as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t have secrets, it just means you have to trust them before they can trust you. Tell your team as much as you can, and if they ask you about something you can’t discuss with them you just have to be honest and tell them you can’t talk about that right now.

Coaching

Lead by example. Don’t ask your team to do anything you aren’t willing to do, and that includes collaborating. Be the example you people use when deciding how to collaborate. Listen to the concerns of your team and address those concerns with open and honest feedback.

When to Terminate an Employee

Leadership means making tough decisions, even when it isn’t obvious to everyone that a decision needs to be made. While a lot of people hold onto employees way past their usefulness, a leader has to weigh the value of an employee against the risk of continuing their involvement with your team. You spent a lot of time picking the very best people to add to your team, so it can be a painful decision when it comes time to cut someone. What are the signs that tell you it is time to terminate a troublesome employee?

1. Argumentative

It is fine for an employee to feel passionate about a position that is important to the company or to their team, but it is a sad and destructive employee who argues because they have grown weary of their environment and argue for the simple act of releasing aggression. You have someone on your team likes to argue just to argue it’s a very good sign that it’s time for that employee to find a new challenge at a different company. This doesn’t mean you don’t talk to them first, coaching them towards a better attitude, but this is the type of employee that needs to quickly on your radar.

2. Indifference

Apathy is a huge problem that it not only prevents people from doing their jobs, it’s also very contagious. If the someone on your team has a problem, then you need to help them solve that problem or move to a new job.

3. Secretive

Sometimes, when you think they are talking about you they really are talking about you. If people get quite when you approach, or scatter when they see you headed their way, there is something secretive going on and that needs to stop. This could be the start of dissension and it tends to spread too quickly to manage. It’s best to get to the heart of the matter before that false information leads to problems on your team, so track down the source and put a quick stop to the troublemaker.

4. Hard to Find

If an employee is hard to find, and dressed up more than normal, it could mean he’s already looking for new employment. It could just mean someone is too busy with other activities to be effectively focused on working with the other members of your team. Either way, dodging regularly scheduled tasks is a sure sign you have an employee who feels he’s above and beyond the job. You risk other employees assuming unscheduled disappearing acts are allowed, or feeling they are held to a different standard. Everyone must follow the same rules or they must go be someone else’s problem.

5. Coasting

Sometimes it is your fault that someone is less productive than normal. You team members might be overloaded with projects or you have assigned them tasks that they unqualified or unable to make progress. Sometimes a drop in production can happen for no apparent reason, and that is when your attention must be focused on the culprit. If you can’t coach the slacker to increasing their output, it is time to move them off your team.

6. Disgruntlement

When you have someone on your team is disengaged and starts removing personal items from their desk, it is time to focus your attention on that employee. If you have someone who has decided they are unhappy and ready to leave, you either need to solve that problem quickly or cut them loose. This is a scenario that can turn from bad to dangerous quickly, and you need to protect your team from people with a bad attitude.

7. Demanding

Sometimes, when an employee becomes dissatisfied with either their assigned tasks or work environment they will start requesting things that aren’t realistic. You will need to judge these requests and decide if they are reasonable and possible, or things they are asking for to justify quitting. Cut your losses and stay focused on the members of your team focused on output.

8. Headstrong

It is fine to be sure of your position and argue that your choice of direction is the best possible solution, but sometimes you have to admit defeat and move to the next battle. There are those people that can not and will not surrender the battle and will want to continue the fight long after a victory is possible. Those are people that put the team solidarity at risk, tend to distract the team from priorities, and make you question if they are a positive influence to the rest of your company. If that problem can’t be resolved, you will have to let them go to their next challenge.

 

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