And so it begins…..
Today feels like the start of something great (at least I hope so). Today I received approval for my Master’s thesis topic from the faculty director at Royal Roads University. Though I’ve been contemplating the topic for about a year or so, today represents the affirmation of the new journey that is about to begin.
I’ve been in the Master of Arts, Executive and Organizational Coaching program for a year, taking some interesting courses about coaching for global transformation, coaching and ethics, the psychology of coaching, and group and team coaching. I will be wrapping up the Research Methods class in less than a month, and barring no issues with the Ethics Committee, with whom I will meet soon, the research begins in a few weeks.
Back to the title. Executive coaching for cybersecurity professionals?
So why this particular topic?
Well, having spent more than half of my tech career working with cybersecurity vendors and service providers, I say with great honesty and deep admiration, many wonderful people in security have touched my life. I see them, and I hope you do too, as the quiet defenders of our organizations, and therefore, all of us. But who’s watching out for them? Who’s helping them through some of the toughest challenges, crises, or just the day-to-day grind of protecting valuable assets, critical infrastructure, or essential life-saving equipment?
My research topic was born from the emerging evidence of burnout in the cybersecurity profession such as the 2020 Nominet cybersecurity report, called CISO Stress: Life Inside the Perimeter: One Year On, and Vectra.ai’s research report, Are Cybersecurity Teams at a Breaking Point? along with other (and numerous) articles, TEDTalks, and podcasts raising the alarm.
Burnout has been shown to substantially affect not only emotional and psychological health, but it also affects performance. At an organizational level, businesses that do not offer support for burnout may face higher absenteeism, attrition, and significant losses in productivity.
And while burnout in the security profession isn’t a new topic, it is also increasingly coming up in academia. Academics are examining the cybersecurity profession from the point of view of personality theory and mindset, organizational culture, leadership development, job/role preparedness, and burnout and resilience, to name a few areas of study. And although estimates vary, the security workforce gap is likely a major contributor to the burnout levels in the profession. But the burnout problem is far more thorny than an insufficient workforce.
So, what role could executive coaching play? Well, let’s start by not getting caught up with the word “executive”. Executive coaching can be provided to ANYONE at ANY LEVEL, at ANY POINT in their career. And in the case of this research, it is simply the practice of either a one-to-one or a one-to-many relationship (team or group), where the goal of the coach is to support the client/coachee in the improvement of their work performance – which is complex and multifaceted.
I’m not so idealistic to think that executive coaching will solve the burnout problem in the cybersecurity profession in totality, but I believe it may offer some significant support to those who are suffering in silence. And without that support available to our quiet defenders, what is the risk or the impact to many organizations?
I hope to keep you updated on my research journey along the way.
/kd
Additional sources:
Almanza, A.R., (2023). Cybersecurity and Burnout: The Cybersecurity Professional’s Silent Enemy. ISACA Online. https://www.isaca.org/resources/news-and-trends/newsletters/atisaca/2023/volume-48/cybersecurity-and-burnout-the-cybersecurity-professionals-silent-enemy
Coker, J. (2021). Stress and Burnout Affecting Majority of Cyberscurity Professionals. Infosecurity Magazine Online. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/stress-burnout-cybersecurity/
Coker, J., (2022). #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek: Supporting Cyber Workers’ Mental Health More Crucial Than Ever. Infosecurity Magazine Online. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news-features/mental-health-supporting/
Frankland, J., (2023). Burnout: The Hidden Cost of Working Cybersecurity & Other High Risk Fields. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/burnout-hidden-cost-working-cybersecurity-other-high-risk-frankland/
Klein, D., (2023). CISO stress levels are out of control. SCMagazine Online. https://www.scmagazine.com/perspective/ciso-stress-levels-are-out-of-control
Knight, K., (2022). The Impact of Cyberattacks On IT Security Professionals’ Mental Health. Forbes Magazine Online. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/08/17/the-impact-of-cyberattacks-on-it-security-professionals-mental-health/?sh=51a7adab1bb9
Muncaster, P., (2022). Half of Security Leaders Consider Quitting Due to Stress. Infosecurity Magazine Online. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/half-security-leaders-consider/
Riley, T., (2023). Cyber professionals say industry urgently needs to confront mental health crisis. Cyberscoop Online. https://cyberscoop.com/cyber-professionals-mental-health/
Tines (2022). State of Mental Health in Cybersecurity. https://www.tines.com/reports/state-of-mental-health-in-cybersecurity
Townsend, K., (2023). Burnout in Cybersecurity – Can It Be Prevented? SecurityWeek Online. https://www.securityweek.com/burnout-in-cybersecurity-can-it-be-prevented/amp/Viskovich, Y., (2023). Burnout Culture is a Cyber Risk. TEDxZurich. TEDx Talks. https://youtu.be/vU1gD0NHL78?si=ZCDwsAbgD5sMuugt