No time for nuance in today's executive suite

May 1, 2006 12:00 PM, LARRY ANDERSON, EDITOR

GET TO THE POINT.

That's the message most security professionals hear when they try to talk to management.

Often, the subtext goes something like this: “Don't bother me with the unimportant details … I know how you like to go on and on! But I have delegated these details to you, and I only need to know the highlights. Just give me the 10-second sound bite — the part about how something you are doing will impact my bottom line. Save the rest to impress your ASIS buddies.”

Perhaps it is understandable that corporate executives these days prefer to communicate in sound bites and bullet points. In 2006, we all tend to get our information digested and on the run, whether it is Headline News bulletins on a hotel TV or the Powerpoint presentation we are called away from when our cell phone vibrates. And while there is more and more information to be processed overall, it is coming at us in smaller and smaller chunks, and our brains are becoming conditioned to dealing with it one tiny chunk at a time.

But the problem with communicating about security in the format of sound bites and bullet points is that security is an arena that begs for context and thrives on nuance. Choices are not always as clearcut as those in a Chinese restaurant — something from column A, something from column B, etc. Security is an endless cascade of tough choices with hard-to-foresee results. Consequences of making a mistake can be huge, and the continued successful existence of the company can hang in the balance. The more the CEO understands all that, the better.

But the same argument is being made by the HR people, the accountants, the marketers, and on and on. Each discipline within today's corporations is undergoing radical change that needs to be understood and reacted to. The irony is that just when all these disciplines are getting more complex, management interest in their complexity is at an all-time low. Call it management by ADD.

Which brings us back to the bullet points and sound bites, which the security guy just hopes he can slip into a conversation with the CEO before the executive phone rings or the Big Guy is distracted by his Blackberry.

Of course, the CEO will listen up when something bad happens — he will probably find out about it faster than ever on his cell phone or his PDA, and its ramifications will spread through the corporation like wildfire, as modern day communication systems do what they do best.

And by then it will be all your fault.

Being able to communicate effectively with management is the sign of a good security director, and there are others. Good security directors have management skills and people skills; they are involved in their companies and in their communities; and they promote educational and professional achievement among their staff. They lead by example. They inspire greatness. Sound like anybody you know?

We are looking to honor the nation's top security directors in our Security Director of the Year contest, now in its 10th year. Please visit our Web site at securitysolutions.com and nominate somebody for the prestigious award.

No reason to let the industry's best players go unheralded!

---

YOUR THOUGHTS

We are looking for reader feedback. E-mail larry.anderson@penton.com and tell us what you think!

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

This month in Access Control

• Opening Up About Door Closers
• An Enterprise Approach
• The Framework For Open Systems
• On A Higher Plane
• More from April's issue