- [Instructor] I played tackle football for 12 years.
And I currently coach
an international women's tackle football team.
One of my top priorities as a coach
is building relationships with my players.
I connect with them regularly
and talk to them about everything from goals
and learning styles,
to challenges and fears.
Anything they want to share, I'm all ears.
The conversations and interactions I have with them
help me understand how I can add value as a coach.
And more importantly, how to keep them motivated
so they continue to want to play for me and for my team.
I noticed very early into my coaching career
that the top performing players were always focused
on improving their game and taking it to the next level.
To help them progress,
I watched game film and reviewed the playbook with them.
Then identified opportunities for improvement
based on their personal goals and the needs of the team.
Finally, we worked together to put a progress plan in place
to either help them grow in their current position
or prepare them for a new one.
This approach resulted in a high retention rate
because players felt supported
and in control of their own football careers.
Coincidentally, I've found the same to be true
in the workplace.
In my experience, the top performing high potential members
of the teams I lead,
tend to focus on how to improve their performance
or move their careers forward.
Set another way, take their game to the next level.
Although, clearly defined career progression requirements
can play a critical role in employee motivation
and satisfaction,
simply outlining the requirements
can leave members of your team feeling unsupported
or believe in the next step in their career is out of reach.
Think of your team members as football players for a moment.
As a coach, if you simply hand over a list of things
to improve without any guidance or feedback,
it's likely your players will eventually feel unsupported
or become frustrated.
They may even leave your team
in favor of what they perceive to be a better opportunity.
Security leaders should view growth plans,
much like coaches view progress plans.
They are much more than a list of requirements
or things to improve.
A growth plan is the outcome of a performance review
measured against requirements at the current
and subsequent progression levels.
The resulting plan should detail the identified gaps,
and a plan to address those gaps, including milestones,
key performance indicators, and available resources.
For example,
and to tie this back to the reason we're all here,
if an entry level resource meets
all the progression requirements of a mid-level resource,
but let's say,
they're missing a required industry certification,
a growth plan could be as simple as setting a target date
for achieving the certification,
providing the appropriate training resources,
and scheduling regular touchpoints
to chat about progress and challenges.
Similarly, if that same entry level resource
is interested in joining a different team,
a growth plan could include shadowing opportunities,
aimed at exposing them to different types of projects,
and maybe building additional skills
beyond those required for your team specifically.
In both cases, this is a win-win situation,
because not only is the employee motivated,
you're also bringing additional skills into your team.
And let's face it, the stronger your players...
Oh, sorry about that.
I'm still thinking about sports.
What I meant to say is, the more skilled your resources are,
the stronger your team becomes
regardless of their role or level within your team.
Wow!
Time certainly flies when you're having fun.
So far, we've covered how focusing on entry level talent
can help close the cybersecurity skills gap
and enable you to build a talent pipeline
worthy of applause.
In the final section of the course,
we'll cover some additional outcomes
that I think you'll find quite interesting.
Let's finish strong.