Interestingly, with the current crisis that is being experienced globally, leadershipโฆespeciallyย Transformational Leadershipย is required MORE than ever for ALL organizations to weather thisย COVID-19ย crisis.ย ย Moreover, a vast majority of organizations have been forced to work remotely, which means individuals must be trusted and leaders must have the ability to transform and inspire their workforce. In addition,ย Cybersecurityย is vital when working remotely; however, a large percentage of workers are not properly prepared (from a cybersecurity perspective) to work remotely.ย ย ย
COVID-19 has not only changed how business is conducted globally, but it has also altered theย Psychologyย of society. With that said, leaders MUST connect with their employees on a โhigher cognitive levelโ to ensure not only their organization remains profitable, and theย REMOTEย workforce remains integral andย PRODUCTIVEย within the organization.ย ย Though there are a plethora of leadership styles, I would argue that transformation leadership is paramount during the COVID-19ย Pandemic.
Pertaining to cybersecurity during this crisis, there a few recommendations that remote workers can initiate that help to protect themselves and their organizations, such as:
- ย Ensure passwords adhere to organizational guidelines (length and special characters)
- Reviewย National Institute of Standards and Technologyย ( NIST SP 800-53) Managing Passwords
- Use aย VPNย when logging remotely
- Reviewย National Institute of Standards and Technologyย ( NIST SP 800-46) Remote Access and Telework
- Be mindful ofย phishingย attempts ( bad actors are still employed during COVID-19)ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- Employย 2FAย orย MFAย to reduce the event of your personal information being breached
ย About the author: Dr. Hollis is an IT & Cybersecurity: Strategistย โบย Thought Leaderย โบย C-Suite Consultant.ย Dr. Hollis is an Associate Professor in Cybersecurity atย University of the Cumberlands(UC);ย an Adjunctย atย University Maryland Global Campusย (UMGC)ย andย Coloradoย Stateย University Globalย (CSU Global).ย ย Dr. Hollisย holdsย an Executive Cybersecurity/Risk Management Certificate fromย Harvard University;ย aย Blockchain Certificationย ย fromย Blockchain Training Allianceย ( BTA) and is also a retiredย 30 year U.S.ย NAVY LDO/Information Professional (IP) Officer and is the CEO/President ofย HollisGroup LLC,ย which is aย Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businessย ( SDVOSB)ย He has an MBA and Ph.D. in Organization and Management; with a Specialization: Information Technology Management. His Dissertation is titled”Leadership Styles: A Phenomenological Study of Transformational, Transactional, and Situational Leadership Styles Employed by CIOs at Military Combatant Commands”. He can be contacted via emailย atย Dr. Eric Hollisย or his officeย (813) 333-6503ย orย 1-877-219-5052.ย drerichollis.comย hollisgroupllc.com
