2024-08-06 –, Florentine B
Several times in my career, I took a job that was new, and often, on a new team at a young organization. While these opportunities have their benefits, the drawbacks can subsequently challenge growth trajectory within that organization. How do you advocate for the existence of the role while also executing in it? How do you identify the truly crucial stakeholders while being new to the organization? How do you balance breaking down siloes with navigating organizational dynamics. I will draw on my own personal experiences, as well as lessons from cognitive psychology, behavioral economics, and multiparty negotiation to share actionable takeaways for progressive professionals that either are or may soon be in a newly created role.
Presentation Outline
My Existential Introduction (5 min)
- Who am I?
- Why am I here?
- What have i done?
Who this is for / what needs to be true for you (7-8 min)
- Are you a unicorn or vampire? / what kind of people excel
- The Cool Part of a Novel Role
- The Crappy Part of a Novel Role
- Threat Modeling & Risk Mitigation
Tribal Behavior in Modern Organizations (7-8 min)
- What Organizational Psych Research Tells Us
- What Seasoned Security Pros Tell Us
- What LinkedIn Tells Us
Navigating Resistance (10 min)
- Key Stakeholders: Allies, Adversaries, Recruitables
- Dealing with skepticism and resistance to change
- Addressing power structures and politics
- Leveraging social norms and human behavior
- Recognizing and mitigating cognitive biases
Case Study: First Director of Cyber Risk for the City of New York (5 min)
Advantages (5 min)
- Career trajectory / the spiral staircase vs. the ladder
- Culture of creativity and innovation
Heads Up (3-5 min)
- If DEI matters to you
- Once a misfit
- How to spot a "new" role
3 takeaways
- Trailblaze with Tribal Insights: Leverage the power of organizational anthropology to successfully navigate the complex landscapes of pioneering a new role within your organization.
- Master Minds, Master Success: Harness the principles of organizational psychology to overcome cognitive biases and resistance, fostering an environment ripe for innovation and growth.
- Innovate, Elevate, Celebrate: Embrace the uncharted territories of your new role as a springboard for driving creative solutions, propelling both personal and organizational success.
Munish Walther-Puri (he/him) is the VP of Cyber Risk at Exiger, where he focuses on supply chain and cyber risk in the tech, media, and telecom sectors. He is the former Director of Cyber Risk for New York City Cyber Command. He also teaches on cyber resiliency and cybersecurity at NYU Center for Global Affairs and Columbia SIPA.
Prior to working for the City of New York, he led analysis and intelligence for a dark web monitoring company, advised startups in corporate investigations, encrypted communications, and political risk, and consulted independently on applying technology and analytics to geopolitical analysis, forecasting, and open-source intelligence analysis. He also spent time at a large American bank, working on the intersection of fraud, cyber investigations, and terrorism, and at a leading think tank, focused on nuclear policy and international security.
Munish is a Life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and co-founder and advisor to the Fletcher Political Risk Group. He is an ally for the #ShareTheMicInCyber campaign and an Eagle Scout.