"Investing in stability builds resilience for turbulent times."
Theresa Payton, the first female White House Chief Information Officer under President George W. Bush, is a preeminent expert in cybersecurity and digital transformation, advising Fortune 500 boards, CEOs, and tech executives.
As the CEO of Fortalice Solutions since 2009, her groundbreaking work includes an approved U.S. security patent and leading roles in banking technology.
Payton, a celebrated figure in the field, has been recognized by Security Magazine, Business Insider, CISO Magazine, and named the 2019 Woman Cybersecurity Leader of the Year among other accolades.
She is a prolific author, with works like “Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth,” and a sought-after media commentator, appearing on major TV shows and news outlets to demystify complex security issues and advocate for privacy protection.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Theresa Payton: Launching Fortalice Solutions in 2009 was a pivotal step in my career, driven by my passion for cybersecurity and a dedication to safeguarding digital assets across various sectors.
Our focus at Fortalice is on secure digital transformations and delivering custom cybersecurity solutions to meet the distinct challenges our clients encounter. My early career in technology and banking laid the groundwork for this endeavor, blending practical experience with innovative security strategies.
Our team at Fortalice leads the charge in tackling emerging cyber threats, harnessing the power of AI, blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the Internet of Things to protect Big Data. Our goal transcends mere protection; we aim to foster a secure digital environment where businesses and individuals can flourish securely.
This path has been recognized within the industry, earning accolades such as being named one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Security, the 2019 Woman Cybersecurity Leader of the Year, and one of the top 50 Cybersecurity Leaders of 2020.
My publication, “Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth,” reflects my commitment to highlighting critical cybersecurity issues, further solidifying my dedication to the field.
At Fortalice Solutions, our mission is not only to tackle current cyber challenges but to also anticipate and counter future threats. Our approach is rooted in innovation, expertise, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring a safer digital future for everyone.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Theresa Payton: During the onset of the pandemic, we faced an unprecedented challenge when a significant number of our clients, who depended on in-person events, saw their revenues plummet to zero while their expenses remained high.
Recognizing the importance of maintaining long-term relationships over strict adherence to contracts, I took a proactive approach.
Despite the financial uncertainty, I personally reached out to each affected client, offering them the flexibility to exit their contracts without penalty.
This decision prioritized our relationship and their immediate needs over contractual obligations, a gesture that many clients appreciated, highlighting our unique approach to putting relationships first.
This not only helped them navigate through their immediate financial constraints but also solidified our relationships, leading to renewed and even stronger long-term contracts post-pandemic.
This experience underscored the value of empathy and strategic relationship management in facing business challenges, demonstrating that sometimes the right decision can be both a moral and a strategic business choice.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Theresa Payton: Throughout our journey, not every competition for business ended in our favor, which initially felt like a setback.
However, I viewed these moments not as failures but as invaluable opportunities for growth. After each unsuccessful bid, I took the initiative to request detailed feedback from the potential clients.
This process involved humbly asking for their insights on why we weren’t selected and what we could improve. While receiving such feedback was often challenging, it became a cornerstone of our development strategy.
We committed ourselves to understanding and addressing the reasons behind our shortcomings, aligning our services more closely with our clients’ needs and expectations.
This approach not only improved our proposal success rate significantly but also aligned our mission with the essential goal of empowering our clients through technology. Embracing the feedback, even when it contradicted our initial perceptions, allowed us to adapt and preemptively address potential concerns in future proposals.
This practice of actively seeking and incorporating feedback, regardless of its nature, has been instrumental in setting the stage for our later success.
It underscores the value of resilience, openness to constructive criticism, and the continuous pursuit of excellence in serving our clients.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Theresa Payton: Building a resilient team is a multifaceted process that extends beyond mere professional competencies to encompass the overall well-being and resilience of team members.
Recognizing the parallel between ensuring technological resilience and fostering personal resilience within our team, we place a strong emphasis on creating an environment that supports and nurtures each individual’s capacity to thrive, both personally and professionally.
To achieve this, we conduct weekly meetings focused on understanding and managing the workload of every team member, looking both at the immediate week and six weeks ahead.
This practice allows for effective load balancing, ensuring no one is overwhelmed and that the work is evenly distributed. It’s a proactive approach that not only addresses current workloads but also anticipates future demands.
Moreover, understanding that a leader cannot control every aspect of an employee’s life, we strive to create a work environment that respects and supports each individual.
This includes dedicating time in my weekly CEO messages to discuss wellness, encouraging team engagement through polls and discussions on the topic, and inviting external speakers to educate and inspire our team about self-care and wellness practices.
When considering qualities in team members, beyond technical skills and experience, we look for individuals who exhibit a strong inclination towards resilience, a desire to give their best, and an openness to embrace and contribute to a culture of mutual support and care.
This holistic approach to team building not only enhances our operational resilience but also fosters a positive, supportive workplace culture that empowers every team member to perform at their best.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Theresa Payton: Maintaining personal resilience, especially during challenging times, is a critical aspect of both personal and professional growth. To navigate through these periods, I’ve developed and relied on a systematic approach I refer to as the “Five Fs.”
This framework emerged from early career advice emphasizing the importance of balance and the risk of becoming overly absorbed in work to the detriment of other life facets. The Five Fs stand for Faith, Family, Friends, Fellowship, and ‘what are you Fighting for?’
This approach is operationalized by organizing my calendar and to-do lists with color codes corresponding to each of the Five Fs, ensuring a balanced allocation of my time and energy across these essential areas.
Regular self-audits of where my time is spent help me recalibrate and make intentional decisions to focus more on areas that may have been neglected. This system of accountability and visual tracking enables me to maintain a holistic balance, ensuring that no aspect of my life is disproportionately sidelined.
Additionally, my resilience is bolstered by my faith and a commitment to self-care, including consistent exercise and prayer routines, regardless of my schedule or location.
These practices provide me with a foundation of strength and stability. Furthermore, making a conscious effort to spend time outdoors, regardless of weather conditions, allows me to reconnect with the natural world and find a moment of peace and grounding in an often hectic schedule.
This method is not just about adhering to a schedule but about recognizing and adjusting to life’s ebb and flow, ensuring that work, family, and personal well-being are in harmony.
It’s about making informed, conscious choices that align with my values and commitments, thereby fostering resilience through mindfulness and intentional living.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Theresa Payton: In times of crisis, my approach to managing stress and maintaining focus involves a deliberate return to the foundational principles and goals that underpin our efforts.
This process starts by recognizing the physical manifestations of stress and crisis—a racing heart, a sense of panic, the unsettling feeling in one’s stomach—and then consciously deciding to shift focus from the overwhelming feelings to actionable steps.
The strategy revolves around asking pivotal questions: What were our original objectives? What led us to this point of crisis?
Acknowledging that while we may not have control over the crisis itself, we have the power to control our responses and chart a course for recovery. This mindset helps to mitigate the ‘tailspin of doom’ many fall into during high-stress situations, enabling a strategic, rather than reactionary, approach to problem-solving.
Additionally, I engage in practices such as ‘skip level’ meetings, which are informal check-ins with team members without a set agenda.
These meetings foster a sense of connection and open communication, which are crucial for maintaining focus and morale, especially in a remote or hybrid work environment.
This proactive investment in team relationships forms a solid foundation that supports not just the individual but the entire team in navigating through crises effectively.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Theresa Payton: Communication during a crisis is paramount, and my approach emphasizes clarity, openness, and a return to our core mission and goals. At the onset of a crisis, I gather the team to collectively re-examine our initial objectives and the situation that has unfolded.
This process involves a transparent assessment of where we are, what we aimed to achieve, and how we can pivot our strategies to move beyond the current challenges.
By focusing on what can be controlled—our reactions and next steps—I aim to steer the team away from panic and towards constructive problem-solving. Furthermore, the cultivation of personal connections through ‘skip level’ meetings plays a critical role in crisis communication.
By having established rapport and understanding with team members through these informal one-on-one interactions, I can communicate more effectively during crises.
These meetings, which recreate the casual but insightful exchanges once common in physical office settings, ensure that when a crisis does occur, there’s already a foundation of trust and open communication.
This strategy not only helps in managing the immediate crisis but also in building a resilient team culture that values direct and honest communication, regardless of circumstances.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Theresa Payton: To fellow CEOs aiming to bolster resilience within their organizations, my advice hinges on customizing your approach to align with your unique mission, vision, and culture.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; what works for one company might not suit another, particularly when considering the variance in business models, such as those with seasonal or part-time employees versus those with a predominantly full-time workforce.
The cornerstone of building resilience is developing and implementing a system that effectively manages stress—not by concealing it but by addressing and operationalizing stress management in a way that resonates with the core values and culture of your company.
Additionally, investing emotional and time capital during stable periods is crucial. This investment lays the groundwork for a resilient organizational structure capable of withstanding crises.
Incorporating practices from previous conversations, such as regular team meetings to understand workloads and ‘skip level’ meetings to enhance communication, can further reinforce this resilience by ensuring a well-balanced and supportive work environment.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Theresa Payton: Preparation for future crises involves a two-pronged approach: developing crisis playbooks and maintaining open communication channels with both clients and employees.
Start by conducting “what if” scenarios with your team to anticipate potential challenges—ranging from cyber threats to the loss of major clients or natural disasters.
Creating simple yet effective playbooks for each scenario ensures your team has a clear action plan. Furthermore, regular engagement with your clients and employees provides insights into their challenges and perceptions, allowing for proactive adjustments to your strategies.
This dual approach of strategic planning and continuous dialogue equips your business with the agility to adapt to unforeseen events, ensuring not just survival but the ability to thrive amidst adversity.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Theresa Payton: The most crucial lesson I’ve learned about leadership during a crisis is the importance of adaptability and the need for a tailored approach that respects the unique aspects of your organization.
Leadership in crisis is not about rigidly adhering to a predefined set of rules; it’s about understanding the core of what your organization stands for and navigating through turmoil in a way that upholds these principles.
This entails recognizing the individual and collective stress points within your team, managing these effectively, and maintaining a culture of open communication and support.
Engaging with your team and stakeholders to understand their needs and concerns, while also preparing for a range of scenarios, highlights the significance of a leader’s ability to remain flexible and responsive.
By drawing on strategies like creating crisis playbooks and fostering strong relationships during stable times, a leader can guide their organization through challenges with resilience and foresight.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Theresa Payton for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Theresa Payton or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
