S34 Ep4: Dr. Shonna Waters - Leading Through Disruption: Managing Risk and Resilience

Joining the podcast today is Dr. Shonna Waters, a leading researcher on the workplace of today and the future, and the Co-Founder and CEO of Fractional Insights, an organizational psychology research firm. Steve and Dr. Waters discuss the rapid transformation of the workplace, brought on by new technologies, geopolitical uncertainty, and shifting organizational priorities. They also speak about how to stay grounded when the ground around us is shaking, how security professionals can manage stress and negativity brought upon by constantly searching for threats, and how a growth mindset can help build resilience.

Key Takeaways:

1. The professional environment is changing faster than we are.
2. How bridging the language gap between security and sales is challenging, but key for business success.
3. A growth mindset can build resilience.

Tune in to hear more about:

1. What people look for in the workplace (1:56)
2. How to manage stress at work (18:22)
3. How a growth mindset can help us become more resilient (21:42)

Standout Quotes:

1. “There's a lot going on out there, and I think that there's this general sentiment that the ground is moving under our feet. We all are feeling overstimulated and ungrounded, I think, generally speaking, and it's a really hard place to navigate as an employee. It's also a really hard place to lead from.” - Dr. Shonna Waters
2. “No matter what you're selling or producing, there is a human at the beginning of it and at the end of it, at a minimum, right? It's the concept, the leadership of it, the orchestration, no matter how much you minimize humans in the process. There's human ingenuity at the top of that chain. And then at the bottom of it, you have your customers.” - Dr. Shonna Waters
3. “There are conscious choices that you can make to lean more into that idea that you can grow and practice. And I think for any of us, one way to really encourage ourselves around that is to think back to other things that you've done that got easier over time or you were able to improve your skills.” - Dr. Shonna Waters

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From the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.