What does it really take to move from an individual contributor to a cybersecurity leader, and is management actually the right next step for you?

In this Root to CISO Bite Size episode, Kris Rides speaks with experienced cybersecurity leaders about the shift from doing the work yourself to leading people, influencing decisions and taking accountability for outcomes. The conversation makes one thing clear: leadership is not simply a title, a promotion or telling people what to do. It asks for a different kind of responsibility.

Before pursuing a management role, it helps to understand what you are moving toward. Great leaders need self-awareness: knowing what they are good at, where they need support, what work gives them energy, and whether they genuinely want the pressure that comes with being responsible for a team. Sometimes the right path is leadership; other times, remaining an individual contributor can be equally rewarding.

The episode also explores how leadership can begin long before your first manager title. Building trusted relationships, learning to influence people who do not report to you, taking on difficult work, giving others space to contribute, and staying accountable when something goes wrong are all signals that you are ready for more responsibility.

In this episode, we explore:

• What changes when you move from cybersecurity practitioner to people leader
• Why self-awareness should come before the pursuit of a management title
• How to build leadership skills while you are still an individual contributor
• The role of trust, relationships and influence in cybersecurity leadership
• Why leaders must take accountability instead of passing blame to their teams
• How to give feedback while creating an environment where people can grow
• Why taking on difficult, complex work can build experience and credibility
• How industry groups, committees and cross-functional work can create leadership opportunities

Whether you are aiming for your first leadership role or deciding whether management fits the career you want, this conversation offers a more honest view of what leadership requires—and what you can start practicing now.

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What does it take to move from being good at cybersecurity to becoming the kind of leader trusted to shape the business?

In Part 2 of our conversation with Rick Scott, Kris Rides continues the talk about what changes when your responsibility extends beyond security. It is no longer only about knowing what needs to be protected. It is about understanding how the business works, where it is trying to go, what risks it is willing to take, and how technology can genuinely help it get there.

Rick shares what it has been like to hold both the Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Information Officer roles, from thinking differently about budgets and technology decisions to learning the importance of asking questions before trying to change a team or a process.

The conversation also gets into the leadership skills that matter once you move beyond being an individual contributor

In this episode, we explore:

• What changes when a CISO takes on CIO responsibilities too.
• Why cybersecurity leadership has to be connected to business outcomes
• The importance of understanding processes across the whole organization
• Why leaders should ask questions before making changes
• How mentoring helps prepare professionals for leadership
• What it means to support your team, even when their next opportunity is elsewhere
• Why continuous learning, curiosity and listening matter throughout a cybersecurity career

If you want to lead cybersecurity at a higher level, technical expertise is part of the foundation, but it is not the whole job. This conversation is a reminder that leadership means learning how to think more broadly, bring people with you, and help the business move forward securely.

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How much of what you say no to is based on what is actually in front of you, and how much is based on what you have experienced before?

Sometimes an opportunity looks familiar enough that you think you already know what comes with it: the pressure, the responsibility, the environment and everything you have watched other people go through. But the same role in a different company, with different people and under different circumstances, can be a completely different experience.

In Part 1 of this Root To CISO conversation, Kris Rides sits down with Rick Scott, Global CIO and CISO at Elevate Textiles, to talk about the career experiences that shaped the way he looked at leadership, why he once thought becoming a CISO was not for him, and what made him reconsider when the right opportunity came along.

In this conversation, we explore:

🔐 How past experiences can shape the opportunities you say yes or no to
🔐 Why the same role can feel completely different depending on the company and environment
🔐 How to assess an opportunity based on what is actually in front of you, not just what you have seen before
🔐 Knowing when to take the leap and when saying no is still the right decision
🔐 Why career growth sometimes means challenging the assumptions you have already made about yourself

Whether you are considering a new role, moving into leadership, or trying to work out what your next career step should be, this episode is a reminder not to limit yourself before you have properly understood the opportunity in front of you.

🎧 Watch Part 1 of Rick Scott’s Root To CISO story and subscribe for more conversations about cybersecurity careers, leadership and the decisions that shape them.

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