Everywhere I go, a great conversation around who we are, where we are going, and what we are becoming is taking place. The leaders on the playlist for this month all take a piece of this conversation. Thread them together and you have become involved in the taxonomy of the next generation of leaders. We also threaded in conversations we had last year to remind us of how our thoughts are evolving overtime.
Remember the conversations happen because of you and your own passions and front of mind ideas. Send me your thoughts on who should be on a future playlist. Ron@The-Great-Conversation.com
The Cultural Challenge Behind the Cyber-Physical Convergence
The unification of cyber and physical security information is a challenge that technology alone cannot solve. However, what many do not realize is that it is most certainly a culture problem — rooted in deeply embedded belief systems. In order to be changed and viewed under the same roof, it has to be articulated and measured — and, more importantly, it has to be embraced by leadership.
Fred Burton, Ontic’s Executive Director, Center for Protective Intelligence, and the man who coined the term “Protective Intelligence” invites Ron Worman, Founder of The Sage Group and The Great Conversation, to have a “Great Conversation” on his Protective Intelligence Podcast.
Ron shares how convergence has occurred at the technical level, but it is long overdue at the organizational level. They discuss the role of technology and automation to assist in this organizational shift, since the current deluge of information means that no one has enough time, money, or people to detect anomalies and patterns.
Ron Worman is the Founder and CEO of The Sage Group® and The Great Conversation. Over the last 30 years The Sage Group has been helping companies build and execute a ‘value’ strategy that leverages their internal and external relationships. Sage helps clients identify their strategy, formalize it in an effective plan, communicate it to its employees, partners and clients and measure it to ensure strategic objectives are met. The Sage Group methodology, The Path to Value™, has been leveraged successfully by clients across multiple markets and models since 2002. That led to “The Great Conversation”, a podcast and physical forum designed to capture the essential ideas that are working today and, more importantly, the emerging ideas that could change our lives and our businesses tomorrow.
The Science and Heart of Knowing Another
What is human? What is behavior? How do those two terms merge in a practice that serves the risk, resilience, and security industry? We turn to the incredibly rich experience of Miranda Coppoolse, the Founder of MC Global Security and one of the top security influencers in the world.
We find out there is a fire burning in Miranda’s core that infuses her approach to people. And she applies the science of human behavior in a language that can be consumed by her peers and her community.
Miranda Coppoolse is the Founder of MC Global Security Consulting. She is a distinguished Behavioral Analyst and serves as a Security Risk Advisor on various interrelated security topics. In July 2021 she received an award for Global influencer in Security & Fire for the year 2021, from IFSEC.
While known for her behavior analysis trainings & seminars tailored to any industry and profession, her mentoring and coaching and public speaking Miranda also serves as a Board Member on several Boards.
The Great Conversation: The Science and Heart of Knowing Another on Apple Podcasts
Born for Impact
Steven Bowler has been on a self-described journey to make an impact on his world. A former Marine, he now is responsible for a ground-up opportunity to reassess the management and impact of global security in one of the most recognized leaders of insurance, risk management and consulting services, Gallagher. Gallagher is an international group of partners that provide cost-effective, client-centric, and expertise-driven risk management solutions. The leadership team fosters a dynamic, entrepreneurial culture that has made Gallagher an innovator in creating new products and services for their clients.
We learn how Steven, the Global Director of Corporate Security, is carefully assessing and constructing the architecture of the risk, resilience, and security program including a Security Operations Center, and Global Intelligence, as well as safely and securely monitoring travel for his stakeholders.
Our conversation on the evolving human intelligence platform is intriguing and insightful.
A Culture of Development
I don’t know how to describe these two minds. They have mastered the art of the question anchored by a deep background in the science of human behavior and a deep empathetic heart for everyone’s individual journey.
By their questions and insights, we begin to explore the question “How do I see?”
This WiLD process ( Whole + Intentional Leader Development), becomes the north star that integrates the functional areas of our lives with the human reality of our hearts and minds.
A little background: Rob McKenna, PhD is the Founder + Chief Executive Officer of WiLD Leaders. He was named among the top 30 most influential I-O Psychologists. He has been a TEDx Speaker, and featured in Forbes,
His research and coaching with leaders across corporate, not-for-profit and university settings has given him insight into the real and gritty experience of leaders. His clients have included the Boeing Company, Microsoft, Heineken, Foster Farms, the United Way, Alaska Airlines and Children’s Hospital. He is the author of numerous articles and chapters on leadership character, calling, effectiveness, and leadership under pressure. He served as the Chair of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Seattle Pacific University up until 2020, with a total time at SPU of 25 years. His latest book, Composed: The Heart and Science of Leading Under Pressure, focuses on the specific strategies leaders can use to stay true to themselves and connected to others when it matters most. Rob lives in Kirkland with his wife, Jackie, and their two sons.
Daniel Hallak, PhD is WiLD’s Chief Commercial Officer driving strategic commercial initiatives, and other operations such as product development, and marketing efforts that support the development of whole leaders. Before WiLD, he spent over a decade developing whole leaders in business, academic, and not-for-profit settings. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Seattle Pacific University.
The Great Conversation: A Culture of Development on Apple Podcasts
A Conversation with a Protection Futurist
When I sat down with Scot Walker and he began to tell me what he is reading and his passion for service, I realized I wasn’t talking to your typical security consultant. We dig deeply into the definition of a protector and the role of the stakeholders in creating a culture of security.
Scot runs Walker & Associates a boutique Threat Mitigation, Investigations & Due Diligence firm. He helps Attorneys & Businesses make risk-informed decisions. Empowering his clients, such as attorneys and global businesses with information that will help them navigate risk and opportunity is his passion and his profession.
The Great Conversation: A Conversation with a Protection Futurist on Apple Podcasts
The Recipe for Creating Trust
Mark Oakes has spent 40 years in security and owns 7 successful businesses. So, naturally, I wanted to know how he thinks about creating a valuable business. Our discussion quickly became a tutorial on the nature of trust, the ‘bedrock’ or cornerstone of a corporate DNA he has persistently nurtured. To Mark there is no grey. And rather then being a constraint, he sees it as enabling people to develop trust in themselves while earning the trust from others.
You will want your pen in hand as he defines the path to trust.
Mark is the founder and CEO of Concentric Security, one of the nation's foremost Perimeter Security Solutions Providers for homeland security and force protection applications that meet the federal guidelines and standards. They deliver a full range of services including planning, security engineering, technology selection, full site integration, construction and follow-on service and maintenance.
The Great Conversation: The Recipe for Creating Trust on Apple Podcasts
A Window of Opportunity for the Next Generation Risk Operations Center
The times call for trusted advisors backed by a cutting-edge risk operations center leveraging a network of human and digital assets. It is a model that is difficult to fund, design, operate, and maintain. But there is a window of opportunity to fundamentally change the way companies manage their risk and to executives like Robert Dodge, that time is now.
Robert Dodge is the CEO of Global Risk Services at Prosegur, a world leader in the private security industry. Through its five business lines —Prosegur Security, Prosegur Cash, Prosegur Alarms, Cipher and Prosegur AVOS— it offers companies, households, and retail businesses security they can trust, based on the most advanced solutions in the market.
Robert has a proven track record of building high performing businesses/teams spanning multiple regions around the world. He was formerly responsible for G4S Corporate Risk Services Division which provides specialized protective/investigative/consulting and intelligence services globally.
The Scorecard for Managing the Fragility of our Ecosystem
Lisa Oliveri is the Director of Global Safety and Security for EDC (Education Development Center), a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. EDC has been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.
With this global perspective, I sought to find out how this business-savvy global influencer in security management was understanding our world at this moment and what guidance she could give us in helping us achieve a measure of personal and corporate readiness.
Lisa oversees all activities related to security, risk assessment and management, crisis response, protocol development, information analysis, and technical assistance to the field. She manages security for international projects and advises on US Home Office security policies and procedures. She also is coordinating EDC’s international crisis response protocols, supporting business continuity planning, and assisting with incident management.
As you can imagine, she must maintain a detailed knowledge of the national and regional security and operating environments where EDC works, the changing security dynamics and trends, and how that may affect EDC project operations and implementation. This means collaborating regularly with members of Legal, HR, IT, Operations, Facilities, and others to support EDC projects and operations.
The Great Conversation: The Scorecard for Managing the Fragility of our Ecosystem on Apple Podcasts
The Moment for Meta-Leadership
Eric McNulty is the Associate Director of The National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI). NLPI is a joint venture of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Division of Policy Translation and Leadership Development and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership.
NLPI has a crisis leadership training and research program dedicated to preparing those who lead in safety and security, business continuity, and disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. They have trained more than 10,000 leaders across 30 U.S. States and 10 countries.
Which brings us to the book. I originally tracked down Eric to understand a term he used: Meta Leadership. This took us on a journey to understand the term ‘leadership’ and the need for a big picture view.
Why is this needed? Today, in an instant, leaders can find themselves face-to-face with crisis. An active shooter. A media controversy. A data breach. In You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most, the faculty of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University takes you to the front lines of some of the toughest decisions facing our nation's leaders-from how to mobilize during a hurricane or in the aftermath of a bombing to halting a raging pandemic. They also take readers through the tough decision-making inside the world's largest companies, hottest startups, and leading nonprofits.
Eric McNulty and his co-authors introduce readers to the pragmatic model and methods of Meta-Leadership. They show you how to understand what is happening during a moment of crisis and change, what to do about it, and how to hone these skills to lead high-performing teams. Then, when crisis hits, you can pivot to be the leader people follow when it matters most.
The Great Conversation: The Moment for Meta-Leadership on Apple Podcasts
Augmenting the Protector with new Eyes and Ears
Bill Marcisz is the President of Strategic Security Management Consulting. He has 30 years of experience in Security Management, most recently with the highly acclaimed AdventHealth network. Bill also has a Doctor of Law Degree which he has leveraged in compelling ways throughout his career.
We had a great conversation around some of the technologies we hear about in the news such as body cameras, which Bill successfully integrated into the fabric of this organization. We explore the technology, the new business processes that were launched because of the technology and the impact on the true metrics that matter, the de-escalation and reduction of violence, investigative forensics, and prosecutorial success.
The Great Conversation: Augmenting the Protector with new Eyes and Ears on Apple Podcast
The Chrysalis Mindset
Mike Mason, the former CSO of Verizon, shares the mindset he developed to lead his organization and his life. “I am not a finished product.” This conversation took place last year right before his retirement.
Michael A. Mason joined Verizon Communications in January 2008 as the company’s Chief Security Officer. He oversaw and coordinated global security efforts throughout Verizon and all its business units, including enterprise-wide security strategy and programs, physical security, cyber security, and law enforcement liaison and security matters.
Before Verizon, he was responsible for the Criminal Branch of the FBI, to include the Criminal Division, Cyber Division, Office of International Operations and the FBI's Critical Incident Response Division and the Office of Law Enforcement Liaison.
The Great Conversation: The Chrysalis Mindset on Apple Podcasts
Listening: The Art of a Leader
Gene Deisinger, President of Deisinger Consulting, is a thought leader in risk and threat assessment, provided his perspective on our time and what it might mean for the future of the security industry. "A riot is a language of the unheard", a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King is the foundation by which we explore our collective challenge in the days ahead. How do we listen differently and more effectively?
Through his training and experience as a licensed psychologist, certified health service provider in psychology, and as a state-certified police officer (now retired from law enforcement), he brings a unique perspective to the field of forensic & law enforcement psychology and his work in behavioral threat assessment & management.
The Great Conversation: Listening: The Art of a Leader on Apple Podcasts
Creating the Value Creation Team:
An Inside Look at a Private Equity Group
In The Great Conversation, we attempt to bring all the voices to the table to create the narrative and the leverage to increase the value of the risk, resilience, and security industry. Some of the voices are the investors in organizations that may be changing the face of our industry. Last year we sat down with Michael Levenberg a partner in LLR Partners, a private equity group who is leveraging marketing intelligence, domain expertise, independent board member recruiting, and a “value creation” team to accelerate the path to value of organizations in our industry.
LLR Partners is a lower middle market private equity firm investing in technology and healthcare businesses. They collaborate with their portfolio companies to define high-impact growth initiatives, turn them into action and create long-term value. Founded in 1999 and with more than $5 billion raised across six funds, LLR is a flexible provider of equity capital for growth, recapitalizations, and buyouts.
Michael focuses on Security and Industrial Technology. A few companies he has led LLR investments in are ACRE and Mercury Security.
The Ecosystem of a School’s Security and Safety
In 2020, we wanted to check in on the state of our schools. We turned to Michele Gay, the co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools.
Michele is an educator and a mother. Her journey with Safe and Sound Schools was a result of losing her daughter Josephine Grace on December 14, 2012, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people, including 20 children between six and seven years old, and six adult staff members. Earlier that day, before driving to the school, he shot and killed his mother at their Newtown home.
Since that time, Michele has channeled her work as an advocate, improving safety and security in schools and communities across our country. With a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Towson State University, Michele earned a Masters’ degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College. Prior to the Sandy Hook tragedy, she taught at the elementary level in the Maryland and Virginia public schools. Now a nationally and internationally recognized public speaker and school safety expert, Michele reaches audiences and consults with all levels of community institutions — schools; municipalities; houses of worship; educational and public safety leadership; state and federal governments; law enforcement agencies; and top news media sources. Through her work, and always with a goal of helping others increase the safety within their own communities, Michele shares her personal experiences and the lessons she has learned.
The Great Conversation: The Ecosystem of a School’s Security and Safety on Apple Podcasts
The Selfishness of Selflessness
The retired former CSO of Microsoft Mike Howard now President of Howard Consulting, LLC, and author of The Art of Ronin Leadership, reflects on his experiences and what he has learned. When we spoke in 2020, he was anticipating finishing and launching the book and his new podcast. We also learned how he might construct a “scorecard” for a leader. Finally, we tease out a phrase to explore in the future: “The Selfishness of Selflessness”.
The Great Conversation: The Selfishness of Selflessness on Apple Podcasts