Leadership Laboratory

Leadership Lab: STI Degree Candidates' Leadership Essays

SANS Technology Institute's mission is to develop the leaders of the future for the information security industry. One of our admission requirements is that an applicant complete an essay describing leadership qualities they have demonstrated in the past.

Leadership Essay SANS Technology Institute

May 23rd, 2009
By Ahmed Abdel-Aziz
At the start of my career with my employer, I joined a systems support group. The group’s main role was to support the deployment & operation of our proprietary software at client sites, which were mainly Solaris environment sites. After quickly becoming familiar with the traits of the system support role and building a good reputation, I needed to further develop my skills and become engaged in more challenging activities. I then met with management to discuss my interest in developing skills in Information Security. To me, this was a very exciting and challenging domain, which I am passionate about. Unfortunately, management was not happy about the idea since it was not clear how this would serve our business. Believing that success in a field depends to a large degree on dedication and actually enjoying that field, I decided to stick to what I enjoy and develop my security skills, even if that meant spending my own money and time.

After achieving an entry level security certification, as well as sharpening my networking and operating systems skills, I decided to give it another try with management. This time however, I planned better and learned from my previous experience. In the new discussions, I clearly demonstrated what’s in it for the company, not just what’s in it for me. I was able to get management’s support by demonstrating how we can expand our business by adding Information Security skills to our skill-set. By that, I embarked on a multi-year development plan in a field I love, and also made my employer happy by growing the business, and constantly demonstrating the Return on Investment (ROI) for security skills development.

Due to good planning, management support, and dedication, I became a top performer for my employer. I became responsible for managing Infrastructure Upgrade projects that exceed US$ 1.5 Million, which were completed successfully. I transitioned from support to technical consulting and led a new Infrastructure & Security consulting practice in my geographical area. I also became a mentor for new employees providing guidance on how to advance their technical competencies, as well as mentoring the top performers to improve their security skills.

Finally, I hope to expand the technical leadership demonstrated with my employer and our satisfied clients, to become a technical leader on a global scale. My wish is to serve the world-wide community, as a whole, in a future where security technical leadership is in great demand. I am confident that this program will help me achieve that goal.

October 20th, 2008