Name: Ronald Martey

Title: Cybersecurity Consultant

Organisation: Information Security Ark Limited

Ronald is a multiple award-winning Cybersecurity leader with a proven ability to leverage cutting-edge technologies to strengthen security frameworks. He is experienced in developing and advancing information security programs across various sectors and is also known for a proactive, collaborative, and leadership approach rooted in integrity, innovation, and continuous growth.

Ronald excels in navigating the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape by deploying emerging technologies to effectively reduce risks and boost organizational security readiness. He is dedicated to shaping the future of cybersecurity through education, research, and partnerships, with a focus on turning challenges into robust defenses and building lasting digital trust and resilient cybersecurity programs for organizations.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Ronald's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

Building trust with employees, customers, and other stakeholders requires a combination of transparency, ethical behaviour, and adding value across these groups. One of the ways leaders can add value is through competence. Competence as a leader means demonstrating a high level of expertise, decision-making, and strategic insight that directly contributes to the growth and success of employees, customers, and stakeholders. Competence also fosters trust, drives innovation, and ensures operational excellence and resilience.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

Vision and Mission are fundamental guiding principles that define an organization's purpose, aspirations, and strategic direction. In practice, vision and mission statements serve as strategic anchors that align key stakeholders to common goals. As a Cybersecurity leader, aligning an organization's vision, mission, and goals to a cybersecurity strategy is paramount in ensuring Senior Management and the Board continue to invest in cybersecurity initiatives that go a long way in improving the security posture and maturity of the organization.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

A leader can empower the people they are leading by fostering an environment of trust, support, and opportunity that enables individuals to reach their full potential. This involves: 1. Communicating a clear vision and purpose to the team

2. Encouraging collaboration and teamwork

3. Encouraging ownership and accountability

4. Providing resources that support skills development and team success

5. Leading by example and inspiring confidence.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

As far as books go, I draw a lot of inspiration and direction from people such as John C. Maxwell, Steven Covey, and Tony Robbins. With regards to leaders who have made a positive impact in my life, I will mention Ebo Richardson, Emmanuel Odartey Lamptey, and Samuel Quarshie. During my time as CISO for GCB Bank PLC, I had a professional disagreement with a critical third-party vendor of the bank, which impacted subsequent communication and discussions about a service this vendor was rendering to the bank. The vendor decided to escalate me to Emmanuel Odartey Lamptey, the deputy Managing Director of the bank. Emmanuel Lamptey called me on the phone and intimated that anytime an escalation in my space came to him for his attention, I was denying him the opportunity to focus on other important aspects of the business. After pondering over the phone conversation, I took steps to resolve the conflict with the third-party vendor and ensured I was never escalated to any line manager again. Being a leader meant I was responsible for addressing conflicts within my space as well. The Phone conversation with Emmanuel Lamptey helped me understand that leadership is not just about technical acumen but also fostering collaboration with stakeholders and resolving differences with these stakeholder,s including vendors, for the sake of the organization's goals.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

I maintain focus by

1. Setting clear priorities and goals

2. Eliminating decision fatigue

3. Limiting information overload

4. Balancing workload and self-care.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

1. By determining the business goals and objectives on an annual basis

2.Defining various tasks and activities that would lead to meeting the annual goals on a month-to-month basis

3. Defining tasks and activities that would lead to meeting monthly goals on week by week basis.

4. Continuously reviewing and monitoring for any changes and updates that would impact annual and monthly goals.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

Delegating is a powerful tool a young leader can use to create time for growth. By offloading routine tasks, a young leader can gain bandwidth to learn new skills or tackle bigger challenges. Embracing bigger challenges leads to professional and personal growth, and for a young leader, this can lead to promotion or new opportunities.

I draw inspiration from this quote by Ginni Rometty, former Chairman and CEO of IBM, who said, "Growth and comfort do not coexist", to always take on new challenges above my comfort zone.