Struggling to Lead Cybersecurity Amid Conflicting Pressures?
Break the cycle of burnout, misalignment, and performative security—start leading what comes next.
“This book structures the chaotic cybersecurity world we call home… it’s the strategy doc I wish I had 10 years ago.”
– Dr. Branden Williams, Author & CISO, InvoiceCloud
Misalignment Is the Breach Before the Breach
⛔ “You own risk, but you don’t control the levers.”
⛔ “Drive outcomes, but stay out of the business.”
⛔ “Be strategic, but justify every dollar with technical detail.”
⛔ “Fix the system, but don’t question it.”
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Today’s CISO isn’t failing—they’re being set up.
This book shows you how to lead anyway.
When the System Fails the Leader, the Leader Needs a New System
Strategic Performance Intelligence is the new model for leading security on the razor’s edge.
The CISO on the Razor’s Edge challenges the idea that cybersecurity is just a tech problem. It reframes leadership for a system that was never designed to support the role. Drawing from systems thinking, game theory, organizational analysis, and advisory experience in high tech, financial services, and the public sector, Steve introduces a bold new model for navigating chaos, misalignment, and the pressures reshaping the modern CISO.
You’ll explore how to:
Lead without perfect control—through clarity, influence, and shared accountability
Connect security efforts to measurable business performance
Diagnose and reduce friction in strategy, governance, people, and technology
Build strategic systems of action, not just control
Reinforce resilience without burning out your team
This book is for CISOs and executive leaders ready to break the cycle of performative security and start leading with purpose, pattern recognition, and precision.
From the Author
The CISO On The Razor’s Edge is my answer to a broken system. It’s about reclaiming not just the role—but the purpose—of cybersecurity leadership. About seeing clearly through the noise, and choosing to lead anyway.
I wrote this book not to posture, prescribe, or pander—but to provoke. To spark a deeper conversation about what it truly means to lead when the rules are rigged and the stakes are high.
This isn’t a manual. It’s a mirror.
It’s not a blueprint. It’s a challenge.
And I’m inviting you to take the edge—and lead from it.
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