Given the recent “end of an era” for the MCU with Avenger’s Endgame, I’ve been going back through the movies in order—well…most of them. I’m still not that crazy about the 2008 Incredible Hulk film, but for the rest, yeah, I’m that kind of super hero geek.
Aaaannnnnyyyyway…
One of the scenes that still makes me laugh is from the first Captain America movie. Of course, Steve Rogers is the quintessential 80 pound weakling before he gets the super-soldier serum that turns him into the First Avenger. I’d be surprised if he actually did even weigh 80 pounds when he was carrying a soaking wet Labrador!
So, after he convinces the Army to let him into the running to become their test subject, he goes through basic training with everyone else. Of course, he’s always slow…and he’s always last…and he’s not nearly as coordinated as everyone else in the platoon.
As they’re on their daily run one day – with Steve trailing well behind the rest of the pack – the Drill Sergeant says:
“That flag means we’re only at the halfway point. First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Cotter. Move! Move!”
The very same Agent Cotter – and very attractive Agent Cotter – that would later become Steve’s love interest.
Of course, the guys in the platoon are falling all over each other to try and climb that pole and get the flag.
They jump up.
They slide down.
The start crawling up on top of each other to see if they can get a better grip…
As he watches, the Drill Sergeant mocks them, “Nobody’s got that flag in 17 years!”
And shortly afterwards, he commands them all back in line so they can continue their run.
The thing is, everybody was trying to climb that pole…
…except Steve.
Steve was just standing back – the runt of the litter – watching all the commotion.
Nobody noticed him. And in fact, they all really didn’t like him very much because he was always slowing them down.
To the rest of the platoon, he was useless.
But then, after the others were back in formation, skinny little Steve Rodgers just walked up to the pole, looks up at the flag…
“Rodgers! I said FALL IN!” the Drill Sergeant yells.
Steve didn’t listen. He just calmly looks at the base of the flag pole, reaches down and pulls out one single pin…and waits.
With a metallic squeak and a hearty CLANG, the flag pole falls to the ground.
Steve then casually walks over, collects the flag…
And is the first person in 17 years to get to ride back to base—and this time, it’s sitting next to the wryly smiling Agent Carter.
Of course, everyone else is just looking around…at each other…at anything other than Steve sitting in that Jeep, just thinking to themselves:
“Now why the hell didn’t I think of that????”
So when I watched this again the other day, it really reminded me of the kind of “groupthink” across the security profession right now.
We’re all looking to each other so we won’t miss the latest “best practice.”
We’re all following the same frameworks.
We’re all using the same tools.
And, we’re all doing all we can do to get ahead of the wave after wave of threats crashing against the edges of our organization.
The thing is: we’re all spending so much time doing “what we’re expected to do” that we don’t often have time to think about whether there’s another – possibly better – way to do what we’re really supposed to do:
Figure out how to keep our organizations safe and “open for business.”
Very few members of the profession have the time to think about strategy, I mean REAL strategy: you know, the kind that doesn’t come from a vendor roadmap.
And strategic thinking is just not a skill you’re likely to learn on the typical career path (if there is one) of today’s CISO or member of their security leadership team.
But that’s the single skill that’s required so that you can figure out how best to deliver value to the organization—and provide value that it can instantly recognize.
Because once you figure out what the business needs, it makes solving all those other problems that top the multitude of annual security industry surveys SOOOOO much easier.
It’s easier because you’re not guessing.
It’s easier because you’re aligned with the business.
And it’s easier because you’re using your brain – like Steve Rogers – instead of blinding doing the obvious things everyone expects you to do.
The security leaders who are ACTUALLY going to succeed in the mission of keeping their organizations open for business are those who develop new and better skills than they have today. It’s those leaders who see the problems differently, and who can focus on the problems that, when they solve them, will give them the most leverage for the future.
So, if you’re interested in “riding in the Jeep” and finding the elusive key that can unlock:
…the security budgets you need
…the security resources you’re struggling to hire
…and the confidence – for yourself and “the business” – that you’re keeping the organization as safe as possible…
There are a few slots that have opened up in the Effective Security Leadership Coaching Program that might be right for you.
If you want one and act within the next 10 days (that’s before 11:59pm US/Eastern on the 5th of July), you can get in to the newly restructured program at a savings of 40% off the normal price.
Given the new structure provides nearly twice as much access to me (and the new price reflects this change), that 40% translates into a savings of $6,638—meaning it’s more than what you would’ve paid for the old structure during the last promotion.
So, if you didn’t get in earlier in the year, and you’ve been having second thoughts…
…or if you’re finally just fed up with feeling like you have to…
BEG FOR EVERY SECURITY DOLLAR YOU GET
Then maybe it’s time to figure out whether I can help.
Here’s the shiny new link where you can get on the phone with me:
https://securityleadershipcoaching.com
Don’t leave it too late. This savings of $6,638 is gonna be gone like an Independence Day firecracker on the 5th of July.
After that, unless you’re already in the program, the price goes back up.
Until then…
https://securityleadershipcoaching.com is sitting there waiting for you. Let’s talk.
Cheers,
ast
—
Andrew S. Townley
Archistry Chief Executive
P.S. Note that while the benefits you can get from the Effective Security Leadership Coaching Program are the same as what I was promoting earlier in the year, this one IS DIFFERENT.
Based on feedback from some of the previous participants, some were struggling to not lose momentum because it was up to them to schedule the sessions as they saw fit. Without a regular schedule, they said it was just too easy to get overwhelmed with the day-to-day.
So, the biggest change in the structure of the program is that you now get weekly calls with me so we keep chipping away at whatever BIG HAIRY PROBLEM it is that you really need to solve.
Of course, that also means that there are some new rules, and this additional access comes at a price:
If you fail to attend a scheduled session without previous notice, I’m running a 3 strikes policy.
After the 3rd failure to make a scheduled meeting, you’re unceremoniously ejected from the program—without any kind of refund.
The “3 strikes” policy gives some leeway for true emergencies and serious incidents, but it also means I’m making it clear that I want you to get WHAT YOU NEED out of the program…
…and that it doesn’t just get written off as yet another wasted investment.
