Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
ColumnsManagementSecurity Leadership and Management

Leadership and Culture

By Phil Aronson
Leadership and Culture Author
Leadership and Culture
Leadership and Culture Author
Leadership and Culture
September 1, 2017

As a leader, you get very few opportunities to create a culture of discipline around the goals and vision for your team. Over the last few years, this core leadership trait of “engagement” has become an imperative. How can you invite your employees into your vision and mission and have them make it their own?

I host a company-wide meeting two times a year. I am mindful of the responsibility and opportunity to reaffirm our vision, mission and values as well as discuss how we are doing on our yearly initiatives and goals.

In our most recent meeting, I turned a large part of the agenda over to representatives from each of our professional disciplines. I did so because they make up key elements of our methodology that we call “The ASG Path to Value,” which is the foundation of our vision, mission and values.

I was struck by the stories they brought to the meeting and how they touched me as a leader.

One project manager emphasized the serious attention each one of us should apply to our craft. He had just returned from PSA TEC, a business forum and a training event for the largest group of integrators in the world. He was part of a team of six project managers who had been studying for the Certified Security Project Manager (CSPM) exam. They all were tested during the forum.

According to Kimberly Roberts, Director of Education and Training for SIA, our 100-percent passing of all participants was a unique and demonstrable example of taking their profession seriously.

One of our Enterprise Security Risk Group (eSRG) consultants said it best: “Our methodology (the ASG Path to Value) is our culture. If we lead with technology, we fail.”

One of our consulting engineers spoke on the need for a formal design that informs the work instructions for a quality implementation. “Think of our methodology as a wheel with interlocking spokes. Each spoke is individually important but not as important as its relationships with the entire wheel. If we get the design and instructions wrong, our technicians have a difficult time succeeding.”

One of our accounting professionals talked about the need to have integrity. She said: “Billing is about building trust.” She knows her role is much more than collecting money.

Another member of our team, from our service department, said they are now calling Service “Performance Management”, since at the end of the day, her role is to ensure the security technology works at the time of need. “The key to my job is making sure the client wants to keep coming back to ASG.”

Our human resources representative suggested the most important element in our hiring process is cultural fit. Her point: we consider professional disciplines within our methodology our culture.

And finally, our last presentation spoke to our true mission in this industry. Our Performance Management group experienced the criticality of their role in helping our clients manage risk. A member of our client’s security staff, under pressure from an active shooter incident, and the need for a forced lockdown, was not able to perform the function. It was not a technology problem, but that did not stop the quick triage and problem mitigation initiated by our team. As one of our team members reflected on the situation they said: “I just wanted to know everyone was okay.”

My lesson: If you give your team a chance to speak to your mission through their experiences, it anchors everything you are trying to accomplish and mentors new and emerging culture keepers as well. In this industry, we are trying to lead teams that have one fundamental purpose: to stand between good and bad. That purpose works best through persistent attention to our professional disciplines applied against a measurable methodology and with a value system that favors collaboration, communication and “doing the right thing.”

KEYWORDS: active shooter security culture security management security risk management security roadmap

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Aronson 2016 200px

Phil Aronson is the second generation owner of Aronson Security Group (ASG) a provider of risk, resilience and security solutions within the emerging Security Risk Management Services (SRMS) industry. Aronson is heavily invested in a legacy of value for the industry by hosting an executive leadership forum called The Great Conversation, by participating in the International Security Management Association (ISMA) and by leading his company to the next generation of security services.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Security Enterprise Services
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Logical Security
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Charles Denyer
Subscribe For Free!
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Pills spilled

More than 20,000 sensitive medical records exposed

Laptop in darkness

Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows rise in cyberattacks

White post office truck

Department of Labor Sues USPS Over Texas Whistleblower Termination

Computer with binary code hovering nearby

Cyberattacks Targeting US Increased by 136%

Internal computer parts

Critical Software Vulnerabilities Rose 37% in 2024

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

September 29, 2025

Global Security Exchange (GSX)

 

November 17, 2025

SECURITY 500 Conference

This event is designed to provide security executives, government officials and leaders of industry with vital information on how to elevate their programs while allowing attendees to share their strategies and solutions with other security industry executives.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Culture First, Technology Third, Security Magazine October 2017 Corner Office

    Culture First, Technology Third

    See More
  • Stranger in a Strange Land: Finding the New Normal of Security Culture - Security Magazine

    Stranger in a Strange Land: Finding the New Normal of Security Culture

    See More
  • The Master Planner

    The Master Planner

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • security culture.webp

    Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing