In my conversations I attempt to uncover the ‘Why’ behind what leaders believe at their core. I then attempt to discover how that infuses what they choose to do. This journey of becoming allows us to inspect our own lives, personally, professionally, and within the construct of our chosen profession, and the ecosystem we impact. Impact is legacy. It can be visible and tangible. It can be unrecognized. I look for identity that has impact and is not necessarily tied to recognition.

Our February conversations reminded me how critical it is for me to excavate the path leaders have taken within their markets or domains, and to help tell their story. Here is your playlist for this month:

Inside the Mind of a Protective Intelligence Thought Leader

We wanted to get inside the mind of a former police officer, special agent and New York Times best-selling author who has the history and credentials to provide thought leadership around protective intelligence; the critical tool for organizations in an increasing complex world.

Fred Burton has served on the front lines of high-profile investigations like the hunt for and arrest of Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind the first World Trade Center bombing; the 1988 plane crash of PAK-1 that killed U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel and Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq; and the search for Americans kidnapped by Hezbollah in Beirut, Lebanon.

His best-selling books include his personal memoir GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent,  Chasing Shadows: A Special Agent's Lifelong Hunt to Bring a Cold War Assassin to Justice, Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi and his fourth book, Beirut Rules: The Murder of a CIA Station Chief and Hezbollah’s War Against America.

Burton also consults with Fortune 500 companies on security developments and how to keep their personnel and business safe as the Executive Director of the Ontic Center for Protective Intelligence. He serves on the board of the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies and is an active member of the Greater Austin Crime Commission.

We came away from our time together realizing we are never quite equipped, never fully ready, and never can fully imagine what might occur. But we can develop a leadership and organizational mindset. And we can create a platform to aggregate the critical information we need at the time of need, so that we are prepared to assist our stakeholders stay safe, secure, and resilient.

The Passion Project of a Security Leader

Brian Tuskan has had a successful career as a security executive with one of the world’s largest software companies. He started his career in law enforcement but began to color outside the lines early on. He has been giving back to the ‘family’ he began with, by providing generous counsel to police officers who have reached an inflection point in their careers. Recently he has launched a video/audio cast. You can now listen to his conversations by accessing his website at www.CoptoCorporate.com. Any executive in any industry who is considering making a career change should listen to this conversation. You will walk away with some nuggets of wisdom that might make the difference in your life and your career.

Creating the Next Generation of Leaders in a World of Uncertainty

Imagine a career where you had a front row leadership seat during the gradual dissolution of one of the most admired growth companies in the United States. Washington Mutual was a conservative savings and loan bank. In 2008, it became the largest failed bank in U.S. history. By the end of 2007, WaMu had more than 43,000 employees, 2,200 branch offices in 15 states, and $188.3 billion in deposits. By the end of 2008, it was bankrupt​.

Annie Searle was the Senior Vice President and Divisional Executive for Enterprise Risk Services at Washington Mutual.  Searle's early responsibilities included enterprise research, planning and architecture as well as vendor and application security; additional responsibilities included continuity of operations, technology change management, disaster recovery, and technology risk management for the entire company; as well as regulatory and audit assurance for the Technology Group. ​

We have a conversation about uncertainty and the four lenses we must see through, to be attuned to the changes that will inevitably occur. And we also talk about how she is cultivating new leaders who are articulate and critical thinkers. We discover the need for core beliefs and values that can hold during times of crisis. ​

Annie teaches courses on operational risk, information ethics, consulting practices, cybersecurity, and the foundations of information management to the next generation leaders at the University of Washington’s School of Information. ​

​She is a lifetime member of The Institute of American Entrepreneurs, and one of roughly 50 thought leaders selected since 2007 by New York University for its annual Global Risk Roundtable. In 2011, she was an inaugural inductee into the Hall of Fame for Women in Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Searle is a well-known national public speaker on a variety of risk-related topics.​

​Annie is also Principal of Annie Searle & Associates LLC, an independent advisory and research firm created in 2008, at the center of which is the ASA Institute for Risk and Innovation, focused today on influencing policy and publishing in the areas of privacy, security, risk, disruption, and emerging technologies.

IoT: A Sector, a Strategy, or a Technology?

Rob Tiffany is one of the world's leading experts in the areas of Enterprise Mobility and the Internet of Things. He is the bestselling author of five books on mobile architecture and development. Rob has shipped smartphones at Microsoft, co-founded the world's first, cloud-based, mobile device management company and brought unintelligent vending machines to life using M2M technologies during the early days of wireless. We sit down with Rob to pick his brain and get current on his thinking about the digital transformation of our businesses and our society.

Is Imagination the Secret Sauce of the Next Generation Risk Leader?

When I asked Sarah Powell, the Director of Emergency Management at Temple University, to join me for another Great Conversation, I told her I wanted to dive into Uncertainty. And one of the first things she said to me was: we must be comfortable with “not knowing”. How do we create a program knowing this to be true? Is this also a mindset for any great leader? Join this powerful conversation with a nimble and creative mind. 

The Decision Tree: How Risk Leaders Know Anything

When you meet Tony Ridley, you immediately hear his accent. And then you experience his mind. Tony took us through the difficult role of a risk advisor; navigating what we do not know. Known for his expertise in Enterprise Security Risk Management as well as him business acumen, Tony challenges us to see differently, with a discipline of inquiry and patience.

Your Greatest Asset is Under Attack

During the summer of 2020, over 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse. Anxiety, trauma from finances, job loss, loss of social connection. When people fall into a pattern it can lead to a trigger of violence to themselves or others. We turned to a leader, Randy Spivey, CEO of the Center for Personal Protection and Safety (CPPS), who has trained 10 million individuals in best practices related to Workplace Violence Prevention, Active Shooter Response, Travel Safety and Security, and Kidnap Survival to understand how we can ensure that our greatest asset can be protected. He has also provided a link to a trailer on his company and perspective. Take a look at https://vimeo.com/231141071/3b984971e1

Avoiding Failure vs. The Courage of a Dream Maker

Rick Morris is a premier thought leader in Project Management. The term, project management, does not adequately represent the impact this has on the efficacy of an organization What we discover is the secret sauce for leaders in defining and executing their dreams. Rick is normally brought in to “run things”. Projects are not getting done. Teams are demoralized. Tons of uncertainty. Rick helps the team and their leaders really understand the value of servant leadership, the value of planning, and the true nature of their role: to realize the dream.

Changing the Security Playbook from Defense to Offense​

Sanjay Challa, the Chief Product Officer for Salient, provides security leaders with a window into a new world of cross functional leadership in business value and risk mitigation. We move from the traditional role of video management to envisioning a data platform that drives intelligence across the enterprise. 

At Salient, Sanjay’s role is to deeply understand the mind and business process of the customer and translate what he finds into compelling solutions using technology. To do this well, requires a curious and strategic mindset. It also requires being exceptional at decomposing tough technical concepts, ideas, and products into relevant, approachable, and enjoyable narratives. Therefore, he pushes for regular end-user and market interaction to validate product value and messaging understanding, supporting, and contributing to the story of the customer. ​

Looking Forward

Your playlist awaits you on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Podbean, all of which are accessible through our website. If you enjoy your experience, please subscribe and share our Podcast with your peers, friends, and family. It helps your peers find and participate in the conversation.