It’s actually a disease. It’s a disease right up there with analysis paralysis.
It’s the disease of “I know I need to do X, but wow…there’s so much to learn before I can even get started.”
It’s actually a rather common variant of something my mother used to call “want-itis.”
“Andrew, you have want-itis! Everything you see, you want!” she used to say to me.
And it was true, I have to admit. I did have my fair share of “want-itis” moments…
…but, I was like 8 or something.
Then we grow up, and we’re conditioned that failure is bad. That failure is an end rather than a source of wisdom…of insights, even, if we’re bright enough to identify the real lesson.
When we grow up, we want all the wisdom without the warts…without the scars that show where we tripped over the rug, or we burnt ourselves on the stove or we didn’t open the plate glass door slowly enough when you wanted to ride on the backhoe.
(Left hand, just under the thumb. Was super deep and you can still see the scar AND the stitches, thank you.)
So, when we grow up, we convince ourselves that there’s too much at stake to fail, and instead of learning as we go to grow into the responsibilities we’re given, far too often we end up in positions where we’re quite literally making it up as we go because we actually aren’t prepared to make those kinds of decisions.
If we’re lucky, we manage to get through it, and we can convince ourselves that it wasn’t so bad. We can convince ourselves that we really were just making much ado about nothing.
And we’d be wrong.
There’s a problem, and it’s real. And if we don’t fix it, not only will we possibly be out of a job, but a whole lot of people who are counting on us to actually know what we’re supposed to be doing are going to be caught in the cross-fire.
So what do you do if you’re in this situation?
Do you play ostrich and stick your head in the sand and ignore the problem?
Or do you admit that there’s areas where you’re not as confident as you’d like to be and you need to actually do something about it.
And then we’re back in the “want-itis” trap: we know we need to change, and we start to realize how much we don’t know, so we don’t want to make mistakes. We want to learn as much as we can about the problem, and every possible solution, so we don’t make a mistake. Really, so we don’t get caught.
We want.
And that’s “want-itis” in action. We want everything, but we’re too busy wanting to actually start doing things about the situation we’re in with the resources we have today.
As a modern CISO, security leader, security architect or risk professional, we already know a lot. We probably don’t need to know more to take that first step that will change everything—forever.
We just need the confidence to make that step. “Want-itis” is a crutch we need to recognize and throw away. There will always be more to learn if you’re willing to do it, but there’s no better time to start acting than today.
So if you’re ready to act, but you’re stuck in “want-itis” and need some confirmation that you really are ready to start moving and learn at the same time, then you’re exactly who our Security Leadership coaching program was designed for.
The deadline is closer and closer every day, so what’s keeping you from taking the first step?
Here’s the link: https://archistry.com/go/SecurityLeader
And if you’re not sure about something, just ask…even if you think it sounds too good to be true, I’m talking out my backside or you don’t see how it can help you.
It could be the 15 minutes that changes your career. It could be the 15 minutes that changes your relationship with the business. Or, it could even be the 15 minutes that changes your life because you’re once again feeling in control of what you do every day.
Let’s talk.
It’s easy.
One button. One call. One change.
And especially if you’re thinking to yourself right now, “Gee Andrew, I’d love to, but I’m just too busy right now. Maybe later when I’ve got things under control.”
Do you really think that problem’s going to fix itself?
Really?
I know. I’ve been there.
And…It doesn’t.
This does: https://archistry.com/go/SecurityLeader
ast
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Andrew S. Townley
Archistry Chief Executive
