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.

Subscribe to Root to CISO for more conversations about cybersecurity careers, security leadership and the decisions that shape the people behind the work.

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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.

Subscribe to Root to CISO for more conversations about cybersecurity leadership, career growth and the future of the industry.

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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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What career advice only makes sense once you’ve lived through it?

In Part 2 of our “advice to your younger self” series, experienced cybersecurity leaders shares these career lessons they wish they had understood earlier, so you can make more informed decisions.

From building relationships with people who can advocate for you, to getting comfortable around senior executives, knowing when loyalty is keeping you in the wrong place, and staying open to opportunities you never thought you wanted.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why having advocates inside your company can strengthen your ideas and accelerate your growth
• Why chasing meaningful work and development can matter more than chasing the next paycheck
• How staying too loyal to the wrong situation can hold your career back
• Why early exposure to executives can change how you communicate, think and lead
• How trying roles you think you won’t enjoy can reveal career paths you never considered
• Why being open to unexpected opportunities can make you more skilled, adaptable and marketable
• How relationships, reputation and consistently good work often create the “luck” people credit for career success

If you’re early in your cybersecurity career, considering your next move, or trying to work out what direction you want to take, these are the lessons worth hearing before experience teaches them the hard way.

Have a listen, share and subscribe for more cybersecurity career advice, hiring insights and lessons from people who have built successful careers in the industry.

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How is AI changing cybersecurity, and what does that mean for the modern CISO?

In Part 2 of this Root to CISO conversation, Kris Rides and AJ Debole look at how artificial intelligence is changing the pressure, priorities and expectations facing cybersecurity leaders.

AJ argues that while much of AI security still comes back to first principles, access control, segmentation, patching and strong security fundamentals, the scale and speed of the challenge are changing dramatically.

The conversation also explores what this shift means for leadership.

As AI introduces new security risks and new operational questions, AJ believes the future of cybersecurity will need more than one type of CISO. Technical expertise matters, strategy matters, compliance matters but so do different backgrounds, different ways of thinking and people who can approach unfamiliar problems from new perspectives.

In this episode, we explore:

• How AI is changing cybersecurity leadership
• How AI could change attack and the way organizations prioritize security risks
• Why disrupting attacks may become as important as preventing and recovering from them
• How CISOs can prepare organizations for increased demands
• What new AI security risks mean for security teams
• Why the modern CISO may need a broader mix of skills and perspectives
• Why cybersecurity teams will increasingly need people from different professional backgrounds
• How AI continues to reshape cybersecurity careers and leadership

As cybersecurity changes, the leaders who succeed may be the ones who can combine strong fundamentals with adaptability, broader perspectives and the ability to solve problems the industry does not yet have perfect answers for.

Subscribe to Root to CISO for more conversations with cybersecurity leaders about the realities of security leadership, career growth and the future of the industry.

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