Nothing will kill your organization faster than saying the words “we will never be”. — Nothing will kill your organization faster than saying the words “we will never be”. I’ve founded multiple successful companies in my life. A serial entrepreneur, born to bring vision to reality. As the President and CEO of The Penn Group, I spent a significant amount of energy casting vision, and helping to bridge the gap between expectation and reality. I am an idealist. I…

A leader without context is a critic. — A leader without context is a critic. During the 2020, COVID-19 Pandemic, I watched in awe as the Federal and State Governments of the United States struggled to contain what appeared to be an emerging pandemic. The data showed, cases cropping up one by one in state after state as the country was gripped by the prospect…

I Quit Writing For 3 Months. I came back to write this story about influencing people and your organization. — I Quit Writing For 3 Months Influence, according to Google is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. Influence is the essential key to the enrichment of relationships, leading people, and orchestrating business. If influence is so essential, then it would be reasonable…

What is a lie? A lie is a falsehood, a mistruth, a debt that is incurred to the truth? — What is a lie? A lie is a falsehood, a mistruth, a debt that is incurred to the truth? With the close of 2020, we ended an era. Like the roaring twenties or the disco revolution of the 1970s, 2010–2020 (the 20s) will be known as the period in which truth left us. In the Information Age, for the first time, we as a society could air our grievances…

SolarWinds: A Legendary Breach. The plain reality is simple: we suck at security. — SolarWinds: A Legendary Breach It isn’t uncommon for a Cybersecurity professional to be kept up at night. With a constant onslaught of security threats and emerging vulnerabilities, the field of information security is not for those who are prone to worry. As the President and CEO of The Penn Group, I’ve seen my fair…

Learn how to build a cybersecurity program from the cybersecurity strategy down to tactical technical security. — Learn how to build a cybersecurity program from the cybersecurity strategy down to tactical technical security. Building a cybersecurity program is an interesting challenge within the scope of today’s Information Technology landscape. As the President & CEO of The Penn Group, building an information security program that is cost effective…

Cybersecurity Strategy: Compliance < Security. If your goal is compliance you’re going to be breeched. — Cybersecurity Strategy: Compliance < Security For as long as information security has been a function of the organization, there has been justified tension between focusing on compliance and pursuing security in the matter of cybersecurity strategy. As the President & CEO of The Penn Group, I often hear one of the most frustrating pressures to…

The best way to reinvigorate your job is to fire yourself. — The best way to reinvigorate your job is to fire yourself. We have all been stuck in the rut that feels like an eternity. You get to the office 5 minutes late, wipe the sleep out of your eyes, and plop down at your desk. Staring at your computer for…

Read our entire proposal story, including how I surprised her with a brand new BMW X3. — It was a brutally steamy evening in the summer of 2019, about mid-June. As with standard procedure, I was wearing a blue ultra-flex Ralph Lauren suit, with light brown chelsea boots . I plopped down on the bench and looked down the long bleacher. We were at a baseball game…