Creating a successful security team isn’t something that can be done in the blink of an eye. Gathering, cultivating and retaining talent may require months of diligent, consistent work.

Meirav Malter, the Director of Intelligence at Seerist, remarks on the distinct challenges of building an international security team. “Having an international team that covers developments across the globe in real time is a major asset to organizations with a large global footprint, but a big challenge of this team structure is the time zone factor,” Malter says. “It is up to security leaders to make sure that everyone on the team is getting attention, resources and nurturing. No matter where a team member is located, they should still get the opportunity to progress and build their skills.”

While managing an international security team can come with unique difficulties, managing a team of any location and size is bound to come with challenges.

“A lot of teams struggle with securing enough budget to build a strong team in the first place,” Malter remarks. “It can be difficult for security teams to demonstrate why they need a greater budget or more resources.”

Starting a security team

Given the challenges that may come with building an effective security team, it is important for security leaders to make the most of what they can find. When seeking new team members, security leaders should be selective about the talent they bring to the team. Renuka Nadkarni, Chief Product Officer at Aryaka, believes that deep understanding of how appliances and systems work is essential.

“An in depth, detailed understanding of how things work is an absolute must to figure out how to secure it,” Nadkarni states. “When hiring people, it's important to ensure their subject matter expertise is not just at a superficial level. They must have the ability to learn and go to the next level of detail.”

While understanding the finer details is important, team members should also be able to step back and see the bigger picture.

By constructing an organized, cooperative team, security leaders can lay the foundation their organization’s defense is built upon.

“It's important to have people whose focus is not just building capabilities and products and features,” Nadkarni insists. “Security leaders also need professionals whose focus is on looking at all these things from outside. Teams must take themselves out of these processes and wonder, ‘what are all of the different things that can go wrong?’”

Even professionals with limited experience in the security industry will have valuable skills that security leaders should seek.

“Strong critical thinking skills are key,” Malter says. “You're asking for people to be very attuned to different security situations and developments, so it’s important that they would be able to think critically about the situations they may encounter.” Malter continues, “Excellent writing and comprehension skills are also important. The baseline of this job is coherently — and often concisely —communicating ideas and analysis.”

One of the more crucial qualities security leaders should seek in potential hires is the ability to collaborate.

“There are some cases where people are working in teams that are more siloed, or maybe they won't talk at all due to the structure or size of an organization. Still, a lot of the work for security teams, whether physical, strategic intelligence, or cyber does start to overlap, so having someone who's a good team player and wants to take initiative and work closely with their peers is important. It really strengthens the whole organization.”

Cultivating an effective security team

Once a security team is built, it must be sustained. By allowing individuals on the team to continuously improve their skills, security leaders can ensure that their team does not become stagnant.

When it comes to motivating individuals to develop their skills, Malter points out, “It depends at what stage someone is at within the team. But as people are showing interest in developing certain skills, I help move them to the next level on the team, giving them a project to own that will also strengthen their skillset.”

Yet, it is equally important to not heap too much responsibility on team members, which may lead to burnout and discontent.

“The security industry is vast, and it’s easy for people to feel overwhelmed. When you throw too many tasks or information at people, it can be counterproductive,” Nadkarni explains. “They become overloaded and less effective, struggling to focus on their actual responsibilities.”

When pushing team members to grow their skillset, security leaders must be mindful of this delicate balance. Offering a team member the opportunity to take on a project they are passionate about can help them to develop skills, confidence and dedication to their role. Failing to acknowledge when a team member is ready to take that next step may cause them to feel unappreciated on the team. Meanwhile, pressuring a team member to take on more responsibility than they can handle may cause them to feel exhausted and unsupported on the team.

Therefore, security leaders should do their best to understand each team member as a person, gaining an appreciation for that individual’s career journey and helping them to take the necessary steps to be an effective, enthusiastic member of the team.

While all of this may sound complex, it comes down to one simple point: the best way to build a great team is to be a great leader.

“You have to think past yourself,” Malter states. “Instead, think on behalf of the team and do what benefits them.”