Sean McDermott
Contributor
Sean McDermott is the founder and CEO of RedMonocle, a SaaS-based risk
intelligence software designed to help cybersecurity leaders find, fund and fix their blind spots.
Every CISO must face a cold, hard fact: You might not have a seat at the boardroom table or the executive leadership team meeting.
At some organizations, this relatively new role doesn’t get C-level attention yet, and at others, the organizational structure can prevent you from ever getting a permanent seat at the table. Other complexities arise if you report to a CIO or CTO and feel muted by the hierarchy. Or, perhaps your message is diluted by the time it gets up the chain of command.
While lack of access to the highest levels of your organization can be disheartening, remember that you can still have a significant influence on your organization and its security. You may just have to hustle.
Be a translator: When you engage in executive or board communication, speak like a business person and keep your messages brief and engaging.
As an executive, I’d happily meet with a team member ( …
