Grant Gibson, EVP of CIBR, recently chatted with Authority Magazine to (appropriately) discuss how to thrive during a time of crisis.
Gibson discussed how his time in the Marines as a critical communications chief and as a member of the bomb squad in Iraq shaped his leadership style and furthered his interest in IT. He also highlighted influences in his life throughout his journey.
We’ve pulled some snippets from the story that stood out to us below, but you can read the whole article here.
Grant provides some insight on his service with the bomb squad and how it helped him lead teams and analyze risk
For two deployments I served on the bomb squad, which served to be good life experience. The fact that my day-to-day was unpredictable and spur of the moment made me more detail-oriented. When we came across a bomb (sometimes more than three in one day) it was crucial to look at all factors that contributed, to the surrounding problems. Obviously, the goal was always to diffuse the bomb and get everyone home safe, but to be truly safe, I had to look at the bigger picture.
It taught me to zoom out and look at the situation in a larger context when analyzing risks. You have to keep your peripheral vision in check to succeed and lead your team, and that’s been carried into all aspects of my life.
What is a hero? And does military experience prepare you for a leadership role?
A hero looks at a crisis and doesn’t get defeated by it, no matter what they’re experiencing, they have the wherewithal to find and be a solution. In this instance, it was to keep people safe, but some heroes just simply make things better for people. They don’t collapse under the pressure, instead look for the way out and find a solution.
Do you think your experience in the military helped prepare you for business or leadership? Can you explain?
Yes, absolutely. Throughout my years in service, it became instilled in me that it all comes down to the health of your team, which in turn determines your success. The internal team is just as important and a true leader takes care of their team.
Grant chats more about his military background and the connection to MyComputerCareer, a sister company of CIBR
I actually joined the U.S. Marine Corps a little later than most, in my mid-twenties. From the jump I felt like I was playing catch up to those my age since I came in already ranked lower than most. I was thrilled when I was placed in the communications field, I knew it was the right fit for me and was excited to start my military career.
From there I grew professionally and became a Communications Chief. I was even able to utilize my leadership and Marine experiences in my transition to civilian life. It led me to the position of Executive Director of Military Programs at America’s leading IT networking and cybersecurity technical colleges, MyComputerCareer. There, I continued to expand both my technical expertise and head the school’s outreach to all branches of the U.S. Military.
More about the great work happening at CIBR
The influx of cyber attacks over the last year proves the growing need for businesses to be prepared. At CIBR (Cyber Institute for Battle Readiness) it’s our goal to ensure organizations and individuals are ready to meet tomorrow’s cybersecurity challenges.
With that, we’ve been hard at work providing services to organizations to help navigate the challenging cybersecurity landscape by creating an individualized, meaningful pathway towards protecting businesses. Of course we’re always looking for ways to better help organizations, so we’ve been executing a lot of beta testing. Taking the time to listen to feedback we can continue to make our resources simple and easy to use. While most might not think it’s unique, we take pride in listening to our clients and paving the way for healthy cyber practices.
To learn more about Grant and CIBR, visit us at www.cibr.com