Ron Higgs explains why junior cybersecurity engineers should build genuine relationships outside their organization. He argues that understanding what motivates people requires personal conversation, not assumptions. Every person has a story that can shift your perspective.
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Let's talk a little bit more about that because I think that's very fascinating, especially for junior officers who might be listening or maybe a junior cybersecurity engineer or something. When you network, kind of what are the benefits of being curious and really making those connections? Let's talk about that a little bit. What would you advise an aspiring leader about the importance of really making human connection even outside of your organization or your field?
Funny. So one of the things I do in my coaching is emphasize the fact that your ability to build relationships is probably one of the most important skills you can have. Why? In terms of leadership, every human being is motivated by different things. You have no idea what motivates that person until you actually create a relationship with them. Right? So that, again, is learning how to create relationships. And I think the key is genuine curiosity about other human beings. We all have stories, we all have those experiences. I guarantee you, every conversation I've had with any human being has ended in a wow, that story is great, whatever their story is. Something that they've done, something they've achieved, something that they've worked through, something that they've beat, things like that. But it has to be a genuine curiosity. And I'll tell you a quick story. I had someone who worked for me, who I had worked with at some point, then that person ended up working for me, didn't necessarily get along well with that person, sort of tolerated each other and worked. When that person came to work for me, I took the time to get to know that person. And it completely changed my perspective because of listening to the story, listening to that they've been through. And I'll, I'll leave you with this: everyone you meet is fighting a battle that you know nothing about. That's true. That is true.
