Know Your CEO

Nov 1, 2006 12:00 PM, MICHAEL FICKES

When talking to a company CEO, it is not what you say; it is what they hear that is important.

Suppose, for instance, you are pitching the purchase of an open-architecture access control system for the company's 20 locations across the country. In a CEO's mind, the multi-million-dollar price tag will probably far outweigh your contention that open architecture is the way to go and that you have checked around and found the best price.

“Security directors often fail to present information in the appropriate context for the CEO and senior management team,” contends Richard Lefler, former vice president of worldwide security and chief security officer (CSO) of American Express. Lefler, who is on the faculty of the CSO Executive Council, says that putting a security presentation in context for a senior executive requires addressing the concerns of three groups: shareholders, employees and customers. “This is what CEOs think about,” he explains. “If I am a CEO, and my security director is not talking to me about how he is helping these groups, then I have no context for understanding his or her proposals.”

What if you start your discussion by explaining how access control can be tailored as a solution to that CEO's business?

Suppose you are a security director for a food processing company with 20 processing plants. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just issued regulations requiring food processors to track who goes in and out of the company's food processing areas at what times, and to document the information for an audit at a later date. According to the FDA, the regulations will assist investigators in the event that food from a processing plant is contaminated. Chances are, your CEO is already wondering how many people he will have to hire to sign people in and out of the 20 locations to comply with the new regulations.

Following Lefler's idea, you could alleviate that concern with a detailed presentation about how a state-of-the-art access control system can log people in and out according to their card authorizations. Not only will the system make employees feel safer, but it will also record the dates and times they moved in and out, thus satisfying the FDA regulations. In closing, you would note that the new system would help prevent anyone from tampering with product quality, which is a benefit for the company's customers.

A CEO's ears do not perk up at security jargon. But you can bet that a CEO will hear every syllable you utter about cutting costs, gaining a return on investment, protecting employees and helping to ensure that the company satisfies its customers. The advertising field lives by the rule: “It is not what you say, it is what they hear that is important.” Good security rule, too.

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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