Leadership & Management

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Let’s take a look at some unconventional Hollywood movies that offer leadership lessons.

Newer leadership principles that prize attributes such as empathy have eroded the old hard-line approach to management somewhat. But plenty of managers and leaders still warily eye colleagues who seem too friendly or upbeat.

This month’s leadership columnist Mike Gips proposes a satirical alternative to the need for leadership prevailing in security today, taking inspiration from essayist Jonathan Swift and his “Modest” proposal for addressing food scarcity, malnourishment, blight and overpopulation within Ireland in the 1700s.

As a security leader, do you better support the industry and serve your employer by attending in person events or do you play it safe and attend virtually, forgoing the in-person conversations, random encounters, and charged environment that bring so much value to these conferences? Risk professionals needs to weigh look at the data, look at the advice, and weigh the pros and cons of these situations, to maintain their status as a leader within the organization.

Leadership abilities for isolated workers can be as important as they are for someone who runs a large corporate security department or guard force.

Awards season is upon us. Next month, this very magazine will present its Most Influential People in Security. Later in September of this year, at GSX in Orlando, U.S. security managers, consultants, officers, manufacturers and others will learn whether OSPA's judges have tapped them for an Outstanding Security Performance Award.

It’s tempting to file the term “security research” with the likes of “jumbo shrimp” and “somewhat unique” under the heading of oxymorons. Compared to such business disciplines as law, economics, marketing, engineering, data science — and, now, even cybersecurity — business and corporate security lag behind.

Security professionals seeking to advance their careers often ask me whether certifications are worth it, and, if so, which ones they should pursue. The answer, of course, depends on the person and his or her goals. Plenty of people excel without a credential.

Here’s an embarrassing admission: I’m a lifelong Jets fan. If you need proof that the organization is considered a laughingstock, a 2019 article in Inc. magazine is titled, “Want to Be a Great Leader? Look to the New York Jets—and Then Do the Opposite.”

Last month this column looked at how humor can enhance leadership. Inspired by the book "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes," this month’s column explains security leadership through jokes.