3 Observations About Leadership in an Age of Digital Transformation

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We are at a time in the evolution of digital transformation when strong leadership is perhaps more important than ever before. Over the next few years, the Internet of Things will spread like wildfire to tens of billions of devices and beyond. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will infuse nearly every aspect of business. Ubiquitous connectivity will continue to shape and reshape our work, education, culture and communications.

Today, every business is a digital business. As leaders, we must cultivate innovation and agility, or risk paving the way for newcomers to come in and disrupt our business models. This is not a time for the faint of heart; it’s a time for us to be bold and ambitious.

I joined Palo Alto Networks after serving as president of Google Cloud because I believe in the critical task of helping companies protect their information. Cybersecurity is the foundation for all of us and our digital way of life.

As I reflect on my own career and experiences, I’d like to share some observations about leadership and achieving goals.

1. Ruthless prioritization allows us to attain ambitious goals. Writing down your goals and sharing them makes them concrete and helps you and your teams stay focused.
2. Adopt a growth mindset. The technology landscape is changing rapidly. Constant learning is critical. For myself, I am focused on areas such as threat intelligence and competitive analysis.
3. Transparency encourages us to collaborate. Ambitious goals can only be achieved through teamwork. Share your goals and always encourage your people to find ways to collaborate.

Among the latest articles on SecurityRoundtable.org, I invite you to explore what it means to be a leader – in cybersecurity, and the greater business world. Whether you’re looking to be strategic about security in your organization, manage risk assessment more effectively, or expand your own leadership skills, here are some compelling ideas. We can only achieve our ambitious goals for digital transformation if we strive to ensure that each day our world is more secure than the one before.

As leaders, let’s make sure the decisions we make today will help deliver on the promise of a safe and secure digital future.

This post originally appeared on Security Roundtable. It is collected in TopReads, the Security Roundtable magazine. The current issue focuses on taking digital leadership to the next level. Download it now to read, “CIO + CISO: An Evolving Relationship.”