Articles by Michael Gips

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.

Humor is tricky business in the security world, however. Briefing staff on warning signs of workplace violence, precursors of terrorist attacks, contingency plans for natural disasters, and methods of corporate espionage doesn’t exactly lend themselves to one-liners. Dealing with most security incidents isn’t a laughing matter.

Lessons are best learned when we don’t expect them. When someone proselytizes us or pontificates, our defenses go up. Therefore, the best time to influence someone is when their guard is down.

Both artificial intelligence (AI) and emotional intelligence (EI) have critical roles to play in security. But two recent reports accentuate the challenge of leadership that tethers technology to humanity.

A couple of months ago, I described in this column how security professionals could unify a divided country. I chose a mask as a symbol of that cohesiveness. But that thin piece of fabric worn around the mouth and nose can also be a gag — a barrier that distances leaders and stifles communication.

A reverend. An FBI Director. A Fortune 1000 CEO. A British Prime Minister. Four individuals representing widely different aspects of life: spirituality, law and order, business, politics.

Sure, Greek mythology begins with Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divvying up the universe in a game of dice. But they never employed risk management as a methodology to take the future into their own hands. How can security professionals best develop a risk mindset based on probability and rigor rather than intuition and emotion?