So, you’ve finally mastered the art of SOC management and you’re ready to trade in your comfortable swivel chair for the glorious title of CISO. Congratulations! In this thrilling career move, you’ll get to swap out actual cybersecurity work for thrilling things like Zoom calls and more Zoom calls!

The first step on this epic journey is to make sure your tech skills are impeccably invisible. Remember, CISOs aren’t about actually doing anything technical. It’s about mastering the complex art of talking about ‘cyber hygiene’ with a straight face while your previous SOC colleagues heroically battle real threats.

Your next major upgrade involves leadership skills—which essentially means developing a knack for Jedi-like finger-pointing. Being a good leader means knowing exactly who to blame when things inevitably go wrong, ideally someone who can’t immediately schedule a 3-hour PowerPoint explanation of why it wasn’t their fault.

And let’s not forget business acumen! As a future CISO, it’s pivotal you understand that cybersecurity is really just a budget line item reluctantly approved by the board—right after approving new espresso machines for upper management. Welcome to executive life!