You may ask why a security consultant with more than 30 years experience would attend an executive coaching class at Penn State University and become a Certified Sherpa Coach. The answer: No, I haven’t embarked on a career change, but I have accepted the reality of the latest challenges that a shifting security technology landscape presents for my clients.

The security industry has become extremely competitive since 9/11 and the addition of today’s new trends in “convergence” creates an uneven playing field, to say the least. Information technology (IT) is a process-driven culture that must find common ground with physical security processes. Even though convergence promises unique benefits, it also necessitates new ways of doing business.

Today’s security executive has multiple layers of structure to account for and to report to, due to integration and changing technology. Security and IT professionals both have to develop their business acumen and skills in order to communicate effectively with senior management, asking tougher questions about security investments. This demands greater problem solving and leadership skills as well as dramatically improved interdepartmental communications in order to deliver the ROI and ROSI (Return on Security Investment) that is being promised by the integration of technologies.

CHANGING BEHAVIORS

Executive coaching can effectively improve communications and change business behaviors in as little as 90 days. Sherpa Coaching is a process-driven approach that delivers sustainable and meaningful changes by focusing on specific business behavior characteristics such as leadership, problem solving and communication as well as on non-productive business behavior, (the process also works by turning weaknesses into strengths) which may increase individual and team productivity within companies.

Business coaching is not about “life style coaching.” It’s about helping the management team accelerate performance by recognizing, acknowledging and proactively addressing common business weaknesses. Financial drains like poor retention and turn over, defective products, lower productivity, employee conflicts and miscommunications can all be dramatically reduced with the introduction of tried and true techniques for team building, time management, human resource management and goal setting.

These new processes and management skills, in turn, reduce turnover and absenteeism, while improving intercompany communications and boosting job satisfaction. The final result? You guessed it, increased ROI for the providing company and ROSI for their customers.