Dan Lohrmann, Chief Strategist and CSO for Security Mentor – Yorkshire Tea Drinker!

The CISO Diaries

This week we chat with the guy who served as the first CISO for the state of Michigan, Dan Lohrmann in May 2002. Today he serves as Chief Security Officer at Security Mentor, Inc. He has advised senior leaders at the White House, National Governors™ Association (NGA), National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), federal, state and local government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and non-profit institutions. He’s a frequent author for GovTech and other blogs. Tune in to hear Dan’s story of the time he nearly got fired and why his personal favourite is Yorkshire tea!

Guest

• Dan Lohrmann
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danlohrmann/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/govcso

Highlights:

0:00 - Intros, Background & The Small Cybersecurity Family

• Cybersecurity is not for the feint of heart, but it's constantly fun and changing
• Y2K and Michigan
• Centralizing IT and creating the CISO role

8:09 - Applying Football to Career

• Siblings impact and influence
• Football is a lot like security
• Hockey analogy - Go to where the puck is going
• Leadership - Cuts across both personal and professional lives

14:45 - Getting "Fired"

• Dan was given a wifi project
• Staff Meeting - Dan and Teri Takai confrontation
• Lesson Learned: Get to YES and bring alternatives to business

22:22 - Importance of Relationships

• Build trust and relationships
• Go to lunch!
• Easy to say, but hard to do
• Have a good baseline and plan to get to goals
• Good leadership, relationships and partnerships are key to leadership success

Final Thoughts:

• The Best is Yet to Come
• Yorkshire Tea is Dan's Favorite!