Lateral Leadership and Information Security

In almost every company, a defined hierarchy, job description and organizational chart defines who is in charge of a certain issue. Nevertheless, most employees will recall situations, in which teams without a predefined leader had to collaborate. Being able to navigate these settings effectively is extremely helpful for the information security professional. More often than not, different departments and heterogenous groups have to work together to improve the security posture of a corporation. An open mind, real interest in the ideas of colleagues as well as a reasonable distribution of responsibilities and tasks is needed. Well known principles in information security are actually quite well suited for these circumstances.