3 minute read
Stairway to Seven
My seven steps for business success
Dougie Grant is the managing director of Nihon Cyber Defence (NCD), a locally based but global cyber security company. Dougie leads the European team providing cyber security services, including preparing organisations for, and responding to, the increasingly inevitable cyber-attacks. Dougie spent over 30 years in the public sector as a senior law enforcement officer and government official, working nationally and also internationally with Europol and Interpol, and latterly in the prestigious National Cyber Security Centre, where he was responsible for managing and leading the coordinated response to the most significant and impactful cyber-attacks and threats nationally and globally.
1. NEVER STOP LEARNING
The world never stays still and the technological leaps year on year are amazing, but we have to take time to learn, understand and accept the changing world. Continuous learning in all fields is so important, it’s crucial to set time aside and focus on our development if we are to continue to succeed and learning not only improves our ability but it builds our confidence and even improves our mental health.
2. PEOPLE ARE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET
It’s an old adage but still so relevant. If we don’t encourage and support our people, then our people can’t support our aspirations and drive. We grow together and the team is really the fundamental success of any business so take time, support and invest in your people. Look after yourself and look after your staff. You need both to succeed.
3. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT (THE SOLUTION TO) EVERYTHING
New solutions and platforms will solve all our problems. If only that were true, and we could believe the hype. I have lost count of systems and devices that have come and gone, and few remain relevant for long. We have to know why we want technology, and it will never replace a human, it only makes their life easier… sometimes!
4. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Have you ever attended a meeting, a presentation or event and been talked down to or been lost in a technical overload of space travel complexity? It happens to me frequently but if we want to succeed, we need to understand who we are talking to and know how to communicate effectively with them. If we get that right, then natural relationships are formed, and success will flow.
5. NETWORKS ARE IMPORTANT
You’ll be glad to hear I don’t mean IT networks but our professional networks. I think this is a mark of someone’s success in being able to reach out to friends, colleagues and associates to ask for advice, help or assistance. This is especially evident in the IT world, and I’m continually struck by the unwavering help and support that our networks provide each other.
6. SIZE DOESN’T MATTER
Building a company is a challenge and it’s easy to be intimidated by the big players and multinationals. Don’t be. What I have learned is that the bespoke and personal service beats the multinational generic and impersonal service hands down. The expertise that micro and small enterprises deliver is unique and it’s the custom service that customers want. Have belief in your abilities and business will succeed.
7. DO THE RIGHT THING
This is particularly relevant to our ethics and morals, and I’ve spent decades helping and supporting people and organisations. There’s no better feeling than delivering someone out of a crisis and I promise you will get the just rewards directly or indirectly. If it feels the right thing to do… then do it.
