Each month we attempt to highlight voices that are informing and infusing their market sectors. If we are successful, you walk away with a new insight or an actionable idea. From my seat in the conversation, I attempt to understand, connect the dots, and act as a facilitator often speaking to our imagined audience with a virtual and verbal highlighter marking the idea.

Our playlist this month begins with three leaders I am working with on the Security Industry Association’s Audio and Intelligent Communications Working Group. Whether you are in the security industry or not, the insights on how and why audio is becoming the new interface to the home and business, is valuable.

Amplifying your Business and Security with Audio

Pause for a moment and reflect on how you use your voice and your ears in everyday life. Your brain is best leveraged when it can integrate disparate data through all your senses. Without audio and voice, you lack a complete picture. We have seen evidence of this in footage from video surveillance cameras that lacked sound. We wonder: “what really did happen and why?”

Cameron Javdani, the President of SoundSecure helps us navigate how we are processing audio today through technology. And he provides context around privacy issues recommending some fairly simple best practices to help us complete the picture in our businesses and security programs.

Hear with your Eyes

When we process information, 83% of knowledge comes to us visually. But 11% comes through our ears. It turns out that the missing 11% provides rich information that can overcome our blind spots. The question for most organizations is how to bring audio into the conversation so that organizations can effectively communicate and security executives can correctly interpret what really is going on in the silent film they are watching on their screens.

Alon Blankstein has been an important bridge to supporting Israeli companies going global and helping companies outside Israel understand the Israeli and European markets.

He co-founded, invested & now sits on the advisory board of several Israeli and North American based technology ventures including Partners500, Insight Acoustics, Vidit, Arama & Benet, MultiPopoint, Foamix, CapsuLINT, and EarlySense.

As Chairman of Insight Acoustics, he has volunteered his time with the SIA Audio and Intelligent Communications Working Group providing insights to his peers on the emerging audio platform of the future.

Unifying the Business through Technology and People

Many of us believe that our people best perform their roles within a measurable process using integrated tools that optimize their performance.

This interaction between business process, technology and people is the focus of our conversation with Kami Dukes of AMAG Technology, a unified technology platform.

This conversation is infused and informed by the unique experiences Kami has had in the field as a Security Design Engineer for a Federal Defense contractor. She oversaw the design, installation, and commissioning of complex security systems, primarily in Japan and Korea, for the US Army, US Air Force, and US Marine Corps. She also has experience in corrections at the Midland County Juvenile Care Center, a maximum-security detention facility in Michigan. Kami holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice.

Currently she is the Director of Business Development for North America where she and her team work closely with end users and the consultant community to drive new enterprise opportunities through road-mapping, specifying, and systems execution planning.

The next speakers lean heavily on their experience as corporate executives allowing us into their world as we explore the scope of risk, the nuances of leadership, and the trend of CISOs becoming more and more involved in operations and physical security. Technology is a disruptor. If you don’t understand how to apply it, your bound to be on the wrong side of the change equation.

We are always at Risk

I first met Chuck Randolph at Microsoft. Buttoned up, every inch of him personifying a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, respected by his corporate peers for his diligence and expertise with executive protection, strategic intelligence, and event risk management. Because of Microsoft’s digital DNA, Chuck was able to extend those disciplines beyond their traditional roles and make them true enablers.

We caught up with Chuck after his transition to AT RISK International as their Senior Director of Operations. Chuck is now responsible for guiding client decisions through a strategic intelligence team and directing operations that support AT RISK's global protective efforts.

You will learn what it feels like to manage ‘risk at scale’ across the globe through problem solving and story mapping: the art and mindset of a risk, resilience, and security leader.

Security: The Tip of the Spear for Innovation

Interesting new research from Gartner advises CIOs take on the ‘COO’ role of digital transformation due to the inability of most organizations to create the interoperable and secure roadmap demanded of this strategic transition.

We sought out Gary Gooden who has recently transitioned into the CTSO role after becoming the CISO at Seattle Children’s a few years back. As you listen to the conversation, you will see the kind of thinking that Gartner is referring to which bodes well for the future of Seattle Children’s and the industry.

Prior to the CTSO role, Gary was driving the IT Security Strategy for the organization (people, process, and technology). He and his team were executing against a roadmap that was created by him to modernize the Information security footprint within the hospital, research, and foundation environment both from a technology and governance perspective (inclusive of the technology for physical security). This is currently being done in close collaboration with other IT departments and related business areas within the larger enterprise environment. In his current role as CTSO he is now creating an aligned strategy for core infrastructure and security.

The Measure of a Company

Corporate lawyers have a very specific role within the business value chain. Very few become students of leadership. And then translate that into a multi-dimensional successful career. One man did, and our conversation focused on the ‘why’ of that success. The measure of a man that contributed to the measure of a company.

Tom Mars is an accomplished trial lawyer, a nationally recognized advocate in collegiate sports, (Where they compare him to Tom Brady in the legal world),  and an experienced crisis consultant for companies, executives, and public officials.

In the 1990s, Tom’s high-profile clients included the Governor of Arkansas. In 1998, the Governor asked Tom (a former police officer) to join his leadership team as Director of the Arkansas State Police—the state’s highest-ranking law enforcement position. He served in that capacity for nearly three years before returning to private practice as a trial lawyer in Northwest Arkansas.

Not long after returning to private practice, Tom was recruited by Walmart to manage its vast litigation portfolio as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. Four months after joining Walmart’s legal department, he was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Counsel and became responsible for all the company’s legal matters. During his tenure as Walmart’s General Counsel, Tom led an ambitious diversity initiative and became a nationally known champion for advancing diversity in the legal profession. He received numerous awards for his leadership in this area, including the American Bar Association’s prestigious “Spirit of Excellence Award.”

Five years after joining Walmart, in recognition of Walmart’s legal department receiving national acclaim for both its unprecedented diversity and extraordinary talent, Tom was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Two years later, he was promoted again and joined the leadership team of Walmart U.S. as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. In that role, he was responsible for various business units, including real estate, human resources, labor relations, external relations, U.S. compliance, and financial services.

Programmatic change is best implemented once your ‘core’ is secured. But what is core to each company? We find thought leadership in employee engagement and health, move to establishing a baseline platform strategy for technology adoption, then see how it is applied through a great panel discussing a global security operations center.

Is your Company Healthy?

We wanted to know if health and productivity were linked? We wanted to know what the real data said about employee engagement. And we wanted to know if there was an approach leaders could take that would create a path to value for the company and its employees.

We turned to Dan Witters.

Dan Witters serves as research director of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. This daily assessment of U.S. residents' wellbeing provides near real-time measurement and insights needed to improve health, increase daily productivity, enhance basic needs, and lower healthcare costs. Dan frequently presents at major conferences and summits. His research insights appear regularly on Gallup.com and in national media, including in The New York Times, Time, The Washington Post, The Economist, USA Today, National Geographic and The Wall Street Journal, as well as on CBS Sunday Morning, CNBC, HuffPost Live, WSJ Live and NPR.

As a consultant and analyst for Gallup, Dan uses his expertise in survey design, methodology, analysis, business outcomes modeling, report writing and presenting results to help leaders better understand their company's marketplace, customers, and employees. He plays a vital role as an adviser and researcher to Gallup clients, creating effective strategies that enhance a business' overall health and strength through improved engagement and wellbeing. Since 1993, Dan has directed more than $150 million in research for some of the world's best-managed companies in the wellbeing, healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, hospitality, consulting, and pharmaceutical industries.

Dan's extensive experience and his understanding of customer and employee research have earned him high distinction awards throughout his career. In 1999, he received the prestigious Senior Analyst Quality of Report Award for Outstanding Writing, an award given to one Gallup senior analyst worldwide each year. In 2002, Dan became the 13th researcher in Gallup's history to earn the Diplomat Analyst certification. This distinction is awarded to tenured researchers who create an original research thesis that expands Gallup's body of knowledge.

Every Executive wants and needs a Platform

Lee is one of the foremost thought leaders in security. His company is all about business creation and his media platform, Inside Access Control is insightful, provocative, and hopeful.

Our discussion centered around a much-needed transformation of the client value proposition of security that is creating a ripple effect through the supply chain. As always, there will be winners and losers. Lee is rooting for both as we wrestle with the constraints that face business owners and their teams.

The Digital Transformation of Protective Intelligence within a GSOC

Global Security Operations Centers are increasingly expanding their investigative capabilities by formalizing the methodology within a digital transformation model.

We turn to a top-performing security professional with over 15 years of physical security experience covering the entire spectrum of Physical Security; Security Operations, Executive Protection, Security Training, Workplace Violence, Global Security Operations Centers, Event Security, Travel Security, and more; Nabih Numair of Palo Alto Networks.

He was joined in our great conversation with the father of Protective Intelligence, Fred Burton, and the CEO of a leading protective intelligence platform, Lukas Quanstrom of Ontic.

From ‘Me’ to ‘We’

We have never found the secret sauce for persistently turning our collective ‘Me’ into a collective ‘We”. In The Great Conversation we have identified the ‘Why’, we have pursued ‘Meaning’, and we have yearned for a culture that would be highly adaptable and engaged, but we are still yearning for a tried-and-true system for rallying human beings around a singular goal.

And that might be the problem.

We speak with Jeffrey Leinaweaver, consultant, practitioner and co-founder of Find Mino, a personality and career assessment platform that simplifies the process for individuals to find their path and design the life they want. We explore the disruptions in traditional systems and see another approach evolving. And Jeff is the right one to have a conversation around this topic. He has been a senior human resources leader, strategic business partner and certified sustainability professional with a unique track record of helping top organizations address challenging talent acquisition, workforce planning, and leadership development and sustainability/ESG.  In this great conversation, we search for the integration of our individual story with the story of us and the larger undefinable "awe" story within us.

Each month we reach into 0ur archives to ensure that our collective voices are heard. We get reacquainted with a GSOC’s value proposition, the role of the pivot in a leader’s toolkit, and a seminal moment that jump started a refresh of our nation’s school’s security.

We also reacquaint ourselves with an emergency management framework and end, appropriately, with a new language and new tools for next gen leadership.

Data at your Service: How a GSOC transformed our Value Proposition to the Business

Zachary Driskell has been with Marathon Petroleum for over 8 years. He helped develop the current GSOC moving it from concept to design to full operation. Now he and his team provide centralized services around all-hazard risks around the world. He leverages cutting edge critical event management technology as well as an artificial intelligence engine that aggregates publicly available data. This gives him a robust and full picture of risk data, news, and weather events that, when correlated provides him pre-attack indicators and informed actionable response. Having a conversation with Zachary is like having an MBA, Business Analyst, Technology Advisor, and Risk Officer all in one.

Zachary Driskell leads the Executive Protection team and Global Security Operations. During his tenure he has helped manage and improve the Travel Risk Management (TRM) program, manage the intelligence gathering and analysis group, and train employees on workplace violence and active shooter prevention program. He also developed and built a Global Security Operations Center (GSOC). He regularly conducts security and vulnerability assessments of various business units within the downstream oil industry. Finally, he is a member of the Corporate Emergency Response Team and certified as a Hazwoper Operator.

An ‘Inconvenient’ Year

Hollis Mignogno, Vice President of Global Security, Meetings & Events, Travel, and Trade Shows Cardinal Health, shares transparently about this strange “inconvenient” year; a year of events that disrupted our normal but also forced us to think differently.

Hollis’ key responsibilities include business resiliency, drug-free workplace, executive protection, supply chain integrity, global travel, meetings and events, trade shows, M&A, and training. Hollis has been with Cardinal Health since October 2001, working in the Corporate Aviation Department for two years, and in the Global Security Department for the past 16 years. She is a member of ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security) and participates on the Pharmaceutical Council, serving as Vice-Chair in 2012, and Chair in 2013. She also participates on AMEX’s Meetings & Events Executive Council and Anvil’s Advisory Board. Hollis is deeply committed to the community and actively involved in the Central Ohio Heart Walk through the American Heart Association.

Are Schools Safer?

The Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007, was the seminal event that created the awareness of an entire ecosystem that a trend was unfolding that would challenge our notions of risk, resilience, and security for the education sector. Kristina Anderson was a student at Virginia Tech when she was shot by the active shooter. It changed her life. She founded an organization, Koshka, that is having a major impact in schools across our nation.

Gene Deisinger intersects with Kristina. Dr. Deisinger served as Deputy Chief of Police & Director of Threat Management Services for Virginia Tech, positions to which he had been recruited following the 2007 mass casualty incident at that campus.

In this short but compelling conversation we learn what they believe is our progress since the incident.

Framing the Future of Risk and Emergency Management

Christopher Stitt has spent more than two decades in international security, emergency management, and law enforcement with the Federal Government. He is also Adjunct Faculty at George Mason University and is credentialed as a Certified Emergency Manager by the International Association of Emergency Managers.

His specialties include: Emergency management; multi-jurisdictional crisis management; enterprise-wide crisis management policy development; program development and management; strategic planning; risk analysis and mitigation strategies; policy and procedure development; technology/policy/process integration; criminal, personnel, internal, and counterintelligence investigations; and dignitary protection. 

So, it was natural for us to turn to him to get his take on a framework for evaluating emergency plans and preparations.

New Language and Tools for Leaders

Annette White-Klososky has been advising CEOs and their teams on leadership and organizational culture. She shares her tools of engagement including the need to be human and digitally aware to adapt to the changes ahead.

Annette Klososky is a founding Partner at Future Point of View - a boutique technology advisory firm. She is a sought-after consultant and executive coach in all facets of organizational culture and leadership development. She is the owner of the Women’s Executive Board, a leading advisory board for executive women and Chair for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Women Presidents' Organization. Her executive advisory boards include female executive members representing companies with over 40,000 employees and $23 billion in total annual revenues. She was recognized by The Journal Record as a Woman of the Year nominee, has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Forbes.

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