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How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
This is a big one – initially , I struggled to sleep due to business scenarios bouncing around my head all night . I ’ ve found that a mix of exercise ( biking , swimming , running ) to calm my mind and body and moving to a book 30mins before bed , have helped me sleep a lot better . And my take is that sleep is the basis ( along with healthy eating ) for health , stress reduction and clarity of thought .
If you could go back and change one career decision what would it be ? larger vendor . There are pros / cons to each , of course . The coasts tend to rush into new technologies and be more open to smaller vendors , whereas other parts of the country will take a bit of time to adopt new tech and usually with larger vendors . This is changing quickly and becoming more of an industry-specific vs regional trait . Vertical industries are learning from each other , and competitive pressures force rapid adoption of similar technologies .
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months ?
Boston skyline
I would ’ ve founded a company earlier in my career . I didn ’ t have the confidence at the time . Once I was fortunate enough to experience both IPOs and failures , I realized , “ I can do this , and I have enough scars and grit to weather the tempest !”
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Applying AI to cybersecurity ( and then the authentication that needs to go hand in hand with it ), especially in networking , cloud , and email . Email is still our primary communications platform ( B2B and B2C ). A utility of sorts . Investors , CIOs , CISOs and Governments keep getting reminded that email security is still not a solved problem .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in North America ?
There are very distinct attitudes by region towards technology ( level of investment and where to invest ), willingness to buy best of breed or a bundle , and whether to buy from a new startup or an established
The biggest change has been the shift from a larger startup to a scale-up . The additional complexity in the organization and the need to plan further ahead require the CEO to shift from a ‘ jack of all trades ’ dealing with monthly / quarterly views to a strategic planner able to look 2 – 6 quarters ahead . It also takes discipline to enable the team vs a well-meaning but not scalable ‘ I ’ ll just do it myself ’ approach .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry ?
1 . The difference between a manager and an executive is the ability to see both the forest and the trees . The ability to zoom in or out depending on the issue at hand . Think hard about both and which to apply .
2 . A C-level executive needs to learn to lead through their team . It ’ s about thinking ahead , setting goals , and aligning the team . The team will perform so much better if they have both short-term targets and a longer-term sense of where the company is going .
3 . The organization takes its cues from its leaders . Be the person you want your team to be . Lead by example . p
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