“The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children - the future of humanity.” Sitting Bull.

This quote came to me as we spoke with Michael Mason and his use of the term “gladiator” in the title of his new book. Some gladiators did not have a choice. Just as some employees do not have a choice. But many had a “warrior spirit”, and that spirit gave them discipline, courage, and skill.

Mike pays his lessons forward in this book for anyone who ventures into the arena called work.

We are on a journey. Along the way we get to decide where to stop, where to continue, and what we learn. Some of us have the opportunity and the skills to see the landscape in a different way than most of us. It is a testament to their mindset, heart, and skill when they are able to share what they see with others. We call these people thought leaders. In this conversation we take a hike to see what Adam Cambridge sees as the future of leadership and security.

Are you ready to embrace a mindset of possibility in the face of uncertainty? This guest shows the power of “story” when it comes to affirming the future while vetting the present. No hitchhiker here.

Life can be very binary. Perhaps we do live in a black and white world. Live or die. Win or lose.

But as we find from the character in this New York Times Best Selling author’s books, you never should count the odds when you are preparing for the most important and dangerous battles that may confront you.

This is more than fiction. More than a good thriller. This is life.

Enjoy the conversation.

We need to see the whole pie, not just a slice. Especially difficult in the age we live in now. We have a glut of information, and it has to be diced and sliced and finally given context before passing it on to our peers. It is also being increasingly vetted to ensure we are passing on information that is true and relevant. Our guest on this podcast knows this intimately. She works for an information company that provides intelligence to organizations around the world that fuel their business. And she now must do the same for their security. Enjoy the conversation.

One of the greatest public works projects in history was the Federal Interstate Highway system. It was originally promoted as a military contingency program in case of nuclear war. What few could conceive is how it would transform the value of business, recreation, as well as military preparedness. This conversation provides a powerful analog to what is going on with the evolving intelligence highway that will connect data warehouses within companies and markets forever changing current professions and business models.

Navigating risk and opportunity in a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. A world of change. We spoke with the former head of crisis communications for one of the world’s largest insurance companies. and found the epitome of the listening leader.

When I meet great leaders, they invariably are generous with their time. They know their legacy is built on relationships. Angela Scalpello is such a leader. We have a great conversation about her professional coaching business.

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The three viruses that infect and kill. Corporate cultures, investors, partnerships, and strategic plans, all become constrained, twisted, and diluted. We found a woman that has an approach that could act as a vaccine to this systemic plague. I think you will enjoy this great conversation.

At the edge. It implies power. Versatility. Speed. It is where knowledge is accessed in seconds. The security industry is looking for the knowledge and practice of integrating not only their tools together, but, as well, connecting their tools to organizational tools that will make the business smarter, more efficient, and more valuable. This conversation is an example of some of the models needed to accelerate this.

Enjoy the conversation.

The Executive Summit Series is a forum that provides an insider view to private, public, and government security. We preview the upcoming agenda with Lynn Mattice whose pedigree and connections are in all three spheres.

It is just a word that means different things to different people. For Brian Tuskan, a global leader in the risk, resilience, and security industry, it implies maturity of person, process, program, and technology. We have a great conversation about the evolution of the industry and his leadership within it.

To truly see someone, you must get through the mask they are wearing. To get through the mask you must be able to create trust. We tracked down a former counter-intelligence officer to learn how he developed his ability to see and know people so that they would trust them. And then we heard how he pivoted to the corporate leadership world. Enjoy this great conversation.

No one wants to see this picture. It offends us. It depresses us. But it is a graphic example of Gallup’s recent poll on the disengagement of the workforce. In this conversation, we find two amazing leaders who decided to change that narrative in their own unique way. It is a conversation of hope in the midst of the Great Resignation.

Dale Buckner is the CEO of Global Guardian, a provider of world-class security solutions, custom-tailored to the individual needs of its global client base. His leadership pedigree includes an extensive intelligence and special operations background with command positions in counter-terrorism, special forces, and classified deployments around the world. The news media often turns to him to comment on events happening around the world. We have a great conversation around the inflection point he sees in his industry and our world.

The Path to Value™ is at the intersection of risk and opportunity. Leaders that are data driven; that have a process by which that data is leveraged for strategic planning and execution of enterprise-level programs and projects will be better able to deliver sustained success and value to the business. This conversation takes place within this context with just such a leader.

There is an article written by a protective intelligence expert and a chief legal officer that opens with this: “General counsel and chief legal officers are multidimensional leaders who touch every part of an organization, guardians guiding legal and regulatory matters for the business, navigating complexity while mitigating risk; catalysts, operators and strategists.” This is why they need strategic support and advice from a senior security leader. Many of them pursue embedding security under their department. Enjoy this conversation with a CLO discussing this very thing.

The Executive Management Team (EMT), assembles the key leaders who are driving the success of the organization. At their best, they navigate and leverage risk and opportunity. Because of this, they need a strategic advisor that has done their homework on their functional roles and how they align with the organization’s goals. An advisor that knows risk and understand how to communicate it to drive organizational and operational success. Should Security be at the table? Hell yes. If they are prepared to have the strategic conversation needed to drive valuable outcomes in the business.

I was reflecting the other day about our perceptions of “normal”. It is interesting we think there is such a thing. The reality is we are thrown curve balls every day. Weather, incidents, health scares, even death. But like the sprout on a fallen log, our true normal is change. I look for people who can remind me of that and inspire me to look for growth in the fallen moments of my life. The conversation with Nick Brossit did just that. Enjoy this great conversation with a great man.

Who am I? Why am I here? What will I leave behind? How will this company help me answer these questions?

You might have asked yourself the first three. But I would guess you have never asked the last one. Nor would your company probably ask you the first three.

Perhaps exploring how the nature of our creations through “work” might engage us differently, would be an interesting concept to explore in this VUCA world of ours in 2022. Enjoy this conversation with a company that specializes in helping you do this. The results will be exponential at the personal, professional, and organizational level.

Enjoy the conversation.