Editor’s note: SIW managing editor John Dobberstein recently sat down with Ray Bernard, noted security consultant and author, columnist for Security Technology Executive magazine and writer for Security Business magazine and SecurityInfoWatch.com. John inquired about key insights from the recent GSO 2025 event in Irving, Texas.
SIW: How did attendees react to the new concepts of leadership presented?
Bernard: The concepts aren’t entirely new – but they’re new to security practitioners because no one has ever brought them to their attention, and no one has “connected the dots” as the GSO event session leaders did. Amazon currently offers over 50,000 books in all formats with the word “leadership” in the title. However, few of them deal with bedrock fundamentals that apply universally and that any security practitioner, manager or executive can put to use immediately regardless of their position.
Outdated leadership ideas abound that made sense in earlier times but don’t in today’s organizations. As John C. Maxwell explains in several books, 99% of organizational leadership happens in the middle – not at the top. The middle is where the action is, and that’s where most security practitioners are.
It is an essential and fundamental fact that leadership is influence. There are all kinds of ways to influence, but what’s most important are the ways that you can influence the people you need to influence now from right where you are.
One of the common fallacies is the idea that managers manage and leaders lead, and that they are two different job types. The fact is that every person in the organization has to both manage and lead – and when you do both you are more effective and productive, and so are those around you.
Exactly what that looks like is what the sessions leaders described. Many of the attendees realized that they already were leading but were not fully conscious of it. Several attendees said that they had natural inclinations to influence others – but held back because they thought it wasn’t their job. There were many different reactions – all positive and inspiring.
We have posted some of the initial attendee reactions on the GSO Events website at www.gsoevents.com/reactions-from-attendees.
SIW: What did attendees think about the fact that the event is intentionally limited to a small group?
Bernard: Once again, you can hear about that directly from the reactions posted on the website. The two most common comments were that the size was just right for networking – which was so much better than at trade shows or large conference events. There is no hopping around from one session track to another, because there is just a single track that is designed to progress along two main themes, leadership and technology. All attendees have a common session experience, and everyone is on the same page – which definitely facilitates in-depth discussions. Many attendees have described it as a much more casual and intimate experience than other kinds of events.
SIW: Most of the technology sponsors are integration partners, are they not? Bernard: That’s a key aspect of the event. The attendees get to talk to technology partners together as opposed to visiting them separately at different locations. Many technologies were connected and working together, both on premises and in the cloud. Having in-depth conversations with technology partners provides a complete picture right on the spot. There are no incomplete discussions.
SIW: When and where will the next GSO event be held?
Bernard: We’ll be holding two events in 2023, one in June in the Silicon Valley area of California, and another in November in Atlanta, Georgia. The events are always held at the headquarters conference facilities of a leading company. To be notified of exact dates and locations, go to www.gsoevents.com/future-events.
