Being a good team player is an important skill to have, and put to use, in just about any cybersecurity role. This should not be a revelation, but even so it is often forgotten or dismissed in efforts to get ahead in our careers. I’ve written recently on PKM making us better as cybersecurity professionals, and about the simple practice of note taking as an underrated cybersecurity skill.
The willingness to be a good team player is another “soft” (non-technical) skill, and one that builds on the two mentioned above. It will serve you well at all stages of your career in cyber. Queue the attached marketing message:
And it’s easy
You don’t have to be the biggest technical expert in the team, or even a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in a specific area or areas, to put this skill to use and make your team stronger. You just have to want to share useful knowledge with your teammates - as your default, ongoing approach. There are a number of ways to do this that will contribute to continuously improving the team, including:
Be the opposite of a hoarder with your knowledge. If you just figured out how to streamline a firewall rules review process, for example, share that with your colleagues.
Share things in all the ways. Initially that might be an email or an instant message, but later it should be added to an internal wiki or knowledge base, or have a process workflow and/or step-by-step procedures document created for it.
Recognize that becoming “The Only” expert on a subject or process does not make you irreplaceable. It most likely won’t. It will cause friction with your co-workers and may well result in having less success at your job.
Help a brother/sister out. Again, this should be our default setting. If you see a teammate struggling with a new project, look for ways to help them without waiting for anyone above you to tell you to do that. If you notice that a colleague is stressed about a task, their workload, or just a tough day, make time to try to help them through that.
I think work, like life in general, is easier when we lead with kindness and common sense, maybe even embrace this classic:
Amen, Patrick! You are precisely right in your observation!
Also, on the soft skills front, an area I believe that needs to be a strength for any cyber team member is COMMUNICATION -- written and oral. If you cannot communicate precisely, susccintly, and clearly, you are more of a burden than a team member.
Ernie