CIOReview | | 9 JUNE 2022to candidates in the early stages of recruiting? Are potential candidates leaving the first interactions with feeling excited about the opportunity to join your team? If not, consider shifting the early stage of recruiting from screening candidates to actually recruiting them. Often teams want to ensure a new member will fit in with the corporate culture ­ that's always an important concern. Let's get a candidate on the hook first before we pass judgment if they'll fit in. In this market, those who sell the benefits of joining a company and their program, those who get the candidate excited about an opportunity, may see a better response and increase the likelihood of landing the candidate of choice. If we put up barriers and make candidates feel like they're being tested they may walk away feeling less enthusiastic about what we have to offer. Sell the position first, then screen for qualifications to get best candidates. Candidates have options ­ make yours the most attractive.Pay the PeopleLet's get compensation out of the way. If we're not paying competitive salaries, then we're setting ourselves up to lose employees to higher-paying jobs and we certainly won't recruit top talent to join our teams. As cybersecurity professionals, we may enjoy what we do, but we do it to earn a living. Pay people competitively and take that consideration off the table.Was it Me?According to 15Five, a performance management software provider, a recent survey indicated "bad bosses" or "getting away from their manager" was the leading reason for quitting a job. As leaders, we need to take a close look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we foster a culture that increases retention or compels team members to leave. Focus on individual growth plans. Get to know team members and their personal interests. Recognize team member accomplishments. Operate with transparency and hold team members accountable for high-quality work. We have control over how we treat people and treating them well is at the core of creating lasting relationships and retaining team members. As Maya Angelou famously stated, "people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel". Let's make our team members feel like staying with us. Don't Just Look UpCybersecurity leaders sit at the highest levels of the org chart within organi-zations. Peer groups include business leaders and executive management and many report to the board of direc-tors. Fostering those relationships and driving value to top-level stakeholders is key to success. However, those who work in our departments - our team members -are critical to our success as well. They're the ones doing the heavy lifting day-in and day-out. We rely on them when things go sideways, and they often work after hours and on week-ends responding to alerts. Are we pay-ing sufficient attention to our teams? They want to hear from us, hear about what's going on in the company and get to know us. While our teams may feel connected to the business through busi-ness alignment, it's likely not a factor for why they stay or decide to look for a new job. Let's not lose sight of the chal-lenges our teams face on a daily basis. Are they overworked and short-staffed? Do they have what's needed to succeed? Connecting with our team members will lead to better engagement and likely better retention ­ we need to spend time with those stakeholders too. Let Them InnovateMany technical cybersecurity profes-sionals thrive on innovating. They want to learn, expand their capabilities and de-liver greater value to security programs. What if we empower team members to spend a portion of their time on pro-grams outside of their core role so long as it delivers value to the program? Perhaps that's a contributor to creating highly engaged team members who appreciate the opportunity to explore and innovate. That innovation leads to stronger pro-grams by implementing new ideas and in turn helps retain top performers. Give team members "free" time;it just might pay significant dividends. The cybersecurity profession has a bright future. Let's make it brighter for our team members every day and they'll reward us for it. As leaders, we need to take a close look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we foster a culture that increases retention or compels team members to leaveBrian McGowan
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