[00:00:03] VO: Gather round, my little hackers and defenders. You must have heard of big scary terms like SOC save our careers.

[00:00:11] Chaahat: Not quite. It’s actually SOC Security Operations Center.

[00:00:14] VO: I wasn’t entirely wrong.

Speaking of careers, this lady who’s completely confused about which cyberpath to take is Chaahat Baghla.

[00:00:25] Chaahat: Hey, it’s not that bad. I’m just curious.

[00:00:28] VO: And so she is giving herself 12 episodes to explore 12 cyberpaths by asking professionals the right questions. Just curiosity leading the way. And if you’re in your figuring it out era, come along for the ride. This season we’re talking red teams, blue teams, AIGRC and all the juicy stuff. So plug in, scroll less and learn more. This is Destination Cyber Season 2. Powered by KBI Media. Press Play. Your cyber origins story starts now.

[00:01:14] Chaahat: Welcome back to Destination Cyber, the podcast where we uncover the stories, strategies and leaders shaping the future of cyber security.

Today’s guest is a seasoned cyber leader with more than two decades of experience, across enterprise technology, security, sales and business transformation. From leading cyber security go to market strategy across Australia and New Zealand at Cisco to building high performing teams and driving growth across JPAC at Palo Alto Networks, he’s been right at the forefront of the industry’s evolution.

He’s helped organization navigate everything from SOC transformation to ransomware readiness while building a reputation for leadership, energy and results.

And to those closest to him, he’s also simply known as Rocket. So wherever you’re listening from, sit back, relax and enjoy the conversation. Please welcome Rodney, AKA Rocket to Destination Cyber.

Thank you for coming today on the show, Rocket. So to kick us off, can you tell us a bit about yourself, what you do today at Cisco and what your day to day actually looks like. Leading security sales across Australia and New Zealand.

[00:02:19] Rodney: Hi Chaahat. And first of all, thank you for having me on your show. Like, it’s a real honor to be on here and talking to a lot of your listeners. So for me at Cisco, every day is really different. Like there are some sort of normal day to day things, you know, leading the team, you know, managing our performance.

But the thing that I feel like I need to sort of be ready for is like ready to like pause and review and pivot, like, because we get a lot of issues and challenges that can come across the desk at sort of any time. And then the last thing for me is about trying to spend as much time with my team, you know, our partners, our customers. And that’s kind of what I enjoy the most.

And that’s, that’s for me is like, because you Never know what you can learn every day when you’re engaging with all of those people.

[00:03:08] Chaahat: And that sounds like there’s a lot going on there. So why don’t we start right at the beginning and rewind completely and unpack how you actually got here at school. When did your career journey start? Was it straight out of uni? How did you progress to this stage?

[00:03:22] Rodney: Well, I didn’t go to university. I didn’t even finish high school.

So I’m one of those high school dropouts. So for me, like growing up, it was like I wanted to be an architect, carpenter, or a professional golfer.

And I did none of those things.

And, you know, I was ended up working in a sheet metal factory where I taught myself AutoCAD. That’s when I started to play around with computers.

And from there, you know, my story to go into technology came down to like one event where I was sharing a house with a friend of mine who was a musician, he’s in a band, and his singer, and they were meeting with some friends in a cafe and I was there with them and all of a sudden there was a parking space in front of us. And this Ferrari comes and pulls up, parks right next to us. The singer gets out of the car with the person who was driving the car and I’m like, what do you do? And he says, I own my own web design company. And I’m like, what is that? And then had a very long conversation around that. And I’m like, I need to get into this IT thing, whatever it means.

And then it took a while for me to kind of figure out even what the first path would be.

And my first role was in sales at a company called Harris Technology.

I like to say that there’s the bottom rung and I felt like I started below that. And I think I took a 50% pay cut to go and start in that job.

So I look back at it now and I think back to 24 year old me and I’m like, what were you thinking? Because back then, 50% pay cut is a lot of money.

[00:05:12] Chaahat: Yeah, that’s quite an interesting story. How a Ferrari motivated you to get into it. It’s like the monk who sold my Ferrari.

So you mentioned Harris Technology and how you got there. So when you entered Harris Technology, was it straight away you were into an IT role? Was it more on the sales side of things? You mentioned you never went to university.

So how was that experience for you? Did you have to navigate the workplace all by yourself? Was there any mentorship or Guidance provided.

[00:05:40] Rodney: I think in my time there, like, I. I didn’t even know what sales was, and I just tried to learn as much as humanly possible from the people who I thought that had the knowledge.

So for me, I’m pretty sure there was a lot of people I worked with that went home at the end of the day and they probably had a headache, and that was me trying to just extract information out of their head. I spent pretty much every day trying to extract information from people to make myself better.

[00:06:09] Chaahat: So that’s quite a unique trait. So when you say you extract information out of the people’s head, do you, like, note it down somewhere or is it just you going and applying and doing what they asked or what they told you to do? And when did you actually realize that you were actually good at it or sales?

[00:06:26] Rodney: So to answer your first question, I do write things down. And when I say write things, I’m still a pencil, paper, pen person.

I do digitize a bit. But, yeah, I do write things down. But at the same time, there’s like, stuff that will just. You keep asking if you ask it enough times and you kind of then try and implement those things, you think about all those little 1% improvements every day. The second question in terms of, am I good at this?

Look, to be honest, I’m not even the best salesperson in my house. That’s actually my wife.

And I don’t think I’ve ever thought of myself as good in sales.

For me, it’s been about. I had a passion for technology that kind of turned into an obsession for me. I feel like I’m just chasing this thrill of having my mind blown every day with something new. And if you think about what’s happening at the moment, I feel like it’s happening more than once a day. And then for me, it’s like, how do I turn that information into some form of capital that I can use to provide value or a beneficial outcome? Or, you know, those aha moments, you know, for the customers I’m working with or the partners or the company I work for. So whether or not that’s being good at sales, but for me, it’s like, I always feel like I’m trying to grab that information, find value in it, and then try. And how does that. How does that translate to help someone?

[00:07:49] Chaahat: That’s quite an interesting cycle you’ve got there. So after joining Harris Technology, you went into the Cisco and you stayed there for a decade. That’s a very long time. So what kept you there for so long. And how did your journey actually start at Cisco?

[00:08:02] Rodney: Well, people that work at Cisco will probably say being there for a decade is actually not a long time.

So just simply like Cisco’s a, just a great place to work. I do refer to it as Hotel California. So if you know the song, you know, you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave. And I feel like I’m living that because next week is my one year anniversary of returning to Cisco. So kind of proving my point.

And, and the other thing that, that I love is, you know, the pace of innovation and what we’re doing here at Cisco and Cisco has, has in many aspects impacted, you know, people’s lives, which we just don’t see. Like you think about hospitals, if you go into hospital and you look up on the ceiling, there’s going to be a Cisco access point. Like we’re in there trying to provide the critical infrastructure for people, providing health outcomes for people in Australia.

The Internet and all that critical infrastructure in Australia, New Zealand and globally runs over a Cisco powered network. Like being part of all of that is actually quite special.

[00:09:05] Chaahat: Yeah. So congratulations on your one year anniversary. So how do you actually get a role there was it, you had to do it the traditional way. You applied through resume and then went through a series of interview. How was the process like for you back in the day?

[00:09:18] Rodney: Yeah, that was it. I was lucky that I knew a couple people there and they helped refer me in and then it was, yeah, just go through the traditional, you know, do all the interviews, do the best you can. Probably have a. I have a whole process around even interview process. Maybe that’s a podcast for another day. But yeah, that’s, that was just the way I made my way in and I still remember the day I was told I got the job and it was, it was quite awesome.

[00:09:46] Chaahat: Yeah. So was there any surprising moment when you were doing an interview? I can imagine now it’s quite different like with the AI and everything, but I don’t think they were using AI. So was there anything surprising that like put you back a bit and you had to like think about it?

[00:10:00] Rodney: No, nothing I can think about. Because I feel like one of the things I always focus on, even for any interviews and even people I give advice on for interviews is just try and be prepared.

So be prepared for the weird questions and, or just expect them because then if you do that then you’re never going to be caught off guard and your true self is going to come through in that whole interview process and that’s what people are looking for.

[00:10:25] Chaahat: So you’ve gone from account executive to leading entire regions. And so what was the hardest transition in that journey?

[00:10:32] Rodney: Oh, that is a great question.

I think there are three things, and the first one, and I used to be really bad at this, is managing your time. You need to be more ruthless with saying no. It’s not saying no to like just flat no, it’s a no. But. And ask for more information because you kind of need to clarify, you know, priorities and prioritize your day. It’s very easy for people to like vacuum up a lot of your time if you don’t say no.

Second, being, being adaptable to, to the people, but your people understanding who they are, what their goals and aspirations are and how I can help them. Like so that’s, that’s really important to me like because at its heart everyone has goals and aspirations and really the highest human act is how do we help people achieve those goals? And then the last one is being able to make tough decisions and doing so with conviction. When you’re in a leadership role, it’s one of the hardest skills to master. You probably never master it, but it’s something you have to do.

[00:11:39] Chaahat: There’s so many good points that you touched on about being a good leader and how helping people achieve their goals and aspiration. Do you have a story for us that you want to share but you helped any of your team member actually achieve that goal? Or maybe any story that maybe you could have done something different, but you realize it later.

[00:11:57] Rodney: Look, I’ve probably got a lot of different stories about people that I’ve helped, people that have worked for me or not worked for me.

So for me it’s just trying to help them understand how they go about getting it. It’s not showing them the way. It’s actually just trying to help them think a little bit actually for themselves. Because getting people to think about their, think their way through the problem, I think helps with also that critical thinking. Because you know, one of the biggest faults I probably made early on in my leadership career is always felt like I would try and do things for them, like do it my way. That doesn’t work. Like you actually have to learn about the person and then help them find those little aha moments on their journey. So you got to be really good at asking kind of the right questions or asking the same question three different ways until it lands. So that that thing for me is the most important one. And there’s a couple people that I’ve helped recently that that got roles that they just never expected they were going to get. So for me that was. That’s quite fulfilling when they get the things that they’re aspiring towards.

[00:13:05] Chaahat: Amazing. And how did the journey in cybersecurity start for you? Was it at Cisco? Was it at the some other organization?

And when did you feel like cyber security is where I want to be at?

[00:13:16] Rodney: It was actually at at Cisco and it was one another one of those things where wasn’t a specific moment, but there were a couple of things I was working on with some customers and it was very security related.

And then I saw like how it was transforming or helping them solve certain problems. But then I saw how it would help from a sales perspective for me to be able to sell other things as well and how that was tied to other things that we’re doing from a networking side and from there just I kept asking more questions and asking more questions. I got to a point where I’m like, I was starting to reflect a little bit on my career. I’m like, what do I do next?

And for me like understanding enough about myself, I was like, I’m big into being analytical and problem solving. And I felt like cyber security felt like just this kid sandpit of problems and helping people solve problems and difficult ones as well.

And so I thought this is the one for me. And I kept exploring until I got to the point where I was obsessed and I wanted to transform from being just an enterprise account manager to being a security specialist. I went to the security leader person who actually had my role back in the day and I said, I want to be in your team. And he said, I don’t have any roles. And I said, that doesn’t matter.

I will do whatever it takes to be ready for when a role is open. And I went at it.

[00:14:43] Chaahat: That’s an amazing mindset to have. You’ll do whatever it takes.

So while you were dealing with the companies and you said that really the security aspect really tied to when you were doing sales, was there a moment when you realized some gap that the organization were facing? Like what they were thinking in reality was not what their organizational structure looked like.

[00:15:03] Rodney: Oh, look, I’m probably going to def. I feel like I’ve always in my time being working on the security sales, I’ve still tried to feel like I’m being a practitioner even though I never work inside an organization.

So I view people that are working in cybersecurity for organizations, they’re like the unknown soldiers and protecting their organization is One of the hardest jobs because they’re always on high alert. You never know when something’s going to happen.

And I think one of the biggest challenges is actually how cybersecurity is perceived because there’s sometimes there’s a perception that not so much a perception, but you can’t just implement a tool and whammo, you’re protected because security is like this daily constant cycle of improvement. And so that requires investment, that requires understanding and patience from the CEO, the CFO and boards. And so that takes a little bit of education.

That’s probably the biggest difference between doing and sort of reality.

[00:16:01] Chaahat: And then you also went from Cisco to Palo Alto. What was your like motivation behind that transition and what did you learn in your days at Palo Alto?

[00:16:10] Rodney: The motivation for me was I was looking for an opportunity for something different. You know, I felt like I was personally I was being perceived as, or probably lost a little bit in a box and I need to go do something different because, you know, as I said to this before, I feel like I’m hungry for learning and adapting and I felt like I was a little bit stagnant and I needed something new. And it was a big leap of faith and probably one of the bigger leap of faiths for me to go and do that. So that was for me, it was like going and doing something new.

And I had a great time there for the nearly six years that I was there.

[00:16:44] Chaahat: And you built and led business development across jpac. And what does it actually take to build a good team, a high performing team, right from the scratch?

[00:16:53] Rodney: Oh, you’re coming in hot with the great questions. There’s a few things.

So first of all having a real clear vision and what you’re trying to achieve over three years, but then you’ve got to zoom back from that to what you have today and building the foundations to be successful in achieving that vision. Other point is around being flexible to adjust and sort of make strategic compromises if required. Because not everything’s going to be a linear, you know, not everything is going to go to plan. So you have to be ready to make shifts when that occurs.

The other thing and took me a while to really figure this one out and I’m still trying to make this a bit more of a discipline even today is keeping track of the little wins.

So each month what are the little things that you’ve implemented and what’s those little success stories? So paints the charts of story of what you’re building and where you’re building to. So those things are really important.

I know those things kind of sound boring, but. But this is actually where all the fun is. And solving puzzle pieces one day at a time and being able to look back in six to 12 months and celebrate what probably seemed impossible when you set out a vision for three years

[00:18:06] Chaahat: from now, that’s very amazing. And the point you mentioned about you celebrating little monthly wins, like, oh, yay. That you achieved something. And definitely when we’re stuck at a problem, we often like to think that this is the end of the world, there’s no going from here. But then when you eventually solve it, it doesn’t seem as massive anymore. So that’s amazing. So what really separates a good sales team from a truly elite one healthy

[00:18:32] Rodney: level of impatience and a willingness to outwork others.

So, impatience, what I mean by that is you’re always in motion, Learning problem solving and also being comfortable with being uncomfortable. The willingness to outwork that. In life, people can have talent, but unless they put in the work, it’s just talent. You can outwork talent to be successful. So if you want it, you can go get it. I kind of feel like I’m a bit of a testament to that. Like, as I said, I don’t think I’m the best salesperson, But I was willing to outwork people to be successful.

[00:19:09] Chaahat: That’s a great strategy to have. And how would you actually upwork people? What was the thing that drived you that you have to do hardest of everybody out there? Was it like a challenge you assigned yourself at the end of the week, or was it on a daily basis? How’s that mindset work?

[00:19:25] Rodney: I feel like it’s just an everyday thing.

I don’t know. I honestly don’t know if I have an answer for what that is inside me, but. And where it came from. But I know that that’s like a little fire that’s inside me that I don’t know. I have this. And maybe it’s certain parts of my family that, like, there’s this particular work ethic and people that I’ve. People that I’ve been around, that I worked for, you know, before it, and they. Their work ethic is. You just could not question it. Like, in the sheet metal factory that I worked at for two years, there’s a lot of traits and work ethic I probably picked up from a lot of those guys there. So some of them are probably one some of the hardest workers I’ve ever come across in my life.

[00:20:08] Chaahat: So you said that you picked up a few traits or Ethics. Could you tell us about any one of those? Like, what makes you. Was it like the hard work or was it going at a problem until you solve it? Which was the ethic that truly stood out to you?

[00:20:22] Rodney: I don’t know. I think the problem solving one has been something that’s been with me forever. I don’t know. I think that’s just one of my.

Something I’m born with and solving problems and puzzles. And so that one probably stands out for me the most. I did get the nickname at home in my family of the voice of reason. People come to me in the house with a problem and just explain it and I somehow come up with solutions.

[00:20:48] Chaahat: And is the nickname Rocket because you do them quicker? It’s like a rocket?

[00:20:53] Rodney: No, the nickname came from a colleague that I work with at Cisco. He first gave it to me and it kind of stuck.

And yeah, I’m probably leaning more into it. So more people just call me by my nickname than my actual name. Yeah, I kind of cherish the nickname because of the person who gave it to me.

[00:21:13] Chaahat: Okay, so you were also involved in SOC transformation with Cortex. When you. So when you walk into an organization, what tells you immediately whether their security is mature or not?

[00:21:24] Rodney: Good question. But I don’t let my perception of their maturity sort of distract me from the purpose of the meeting or, you know, the white bird session that we’re on for me still back to just solving pieces of puzzles every day, helping customers, and, you know, trying to just deliver a good outcome for them.

[00:21:42] Chaahat: Now leading cybersecurity GTM across Australia and New Zealand. What are the biggest shifts that you’re seeing in the market right now?

[00:21:48] Rodney: What does quantum and AI mean in 2030?

So like back to when I said, you know, the time of like, all these things that are learning and kind of have mind blown like on multiple days.

So in Cisco’s AI Readiness Index from 2025, only 43% of organizations were investing in new infrastructure capacity to support AI. And 35% of them were ensuring that clean, usable data to be able to be used with AI and agents.

And then on top of that, we’ve got post quantum readiness. Like so ASD’s put out that everyone, every organization in Australia needs to be post quantum ready by 2030.

So that’s another massive converging sort of shift requiring modernization of critical infrastructure, network and systems to be post quantum resistant.

So, you know, at Cisco, we are the critical infrastructure and AI and the AI and post quantum era. It’s not just how we enable Companies to benefit, but it’s also how we help them secure it.

[00:22:57] Chaahat: So you mentioned that Cisco was quite leading the AI back in the day. So could you tell me right now how AI is being used in your team? How do you use it personally? Is it more so as increasing productivity or are the workflows arranged around AI?

[00:23:12] Rodney: So there’s multiple things. So how do we secure it? So how do we help companies secure how they’re using AI models and also agents when they’re deploying them?

The second thing is how do we use AI ourselves for in the actual products, so help, you know, products that customers are consuming from us? How do we use AI to help them deal with, you know, all of these shifts and changes and take away from manual remedial stuff. So giving people back time for more important things on running the business then for ourselves inside our organization. Like we’re using AI as.

I like to think of it as like a thought partner.

So, you know, I’m working on an idea and I’m looking for either an inspiration or someone to help me summarize what I’m thinking and using that in a secure way with things that I’m working on and bits of information and then trying to help me crystallize some of those things or help spark some ideas as well. And then on top of that, you know, we’re implementing a lot around to help our teams become more productive. So how do we remove some of that manual repetitive activity to give people back time so they can be spending more time with their customers?

[00:24:26] Chaahat: That’s amazing. I like the point where you touched on you think of AI as a thought partner, so you ask it to summarize the ideas and give you a new one. I’ve never used AI like that. It’s mostly just me commanding do this, do that. But it’s nice to have like a thought partner as well.

[00:24:42] Rodney: I’ll give you an example, right if I’m working on a piece, I’m asking it to act as someone. So it’d be like please act as an external analyst looking at whatever it is.

This is the information that I’m going to give you. This is what I need you to look at. I need you to tell me the pros and cons on this and you can give it all instructions and then go also ask me five questions to provide more clarity or context in your response. So you’d be very prescriptive with it and get it to tell it to act as the thing that you’re looking for.

[00:25:19] Chaahat: And does that like help to make the task quicker. How do you think the accuracy is of that?

[00:25:25] Rodney: It’s the quality of the response.

Because then you’re getting it to act as something else, as a role or a Persona and give you the information based on that context versus just asking it a question. If you just ask it a simple question, it’s going to give you a very simple answer.

[00:25:43] Chaahat: Yep. So it’s like the more sophisticated the prompt is, the more better answer you’re going to get.

My next question is sort of what motivates you today compared to when you first started your career?

[00:25:55] Rodney: Just trying to be a better person, husband, father and leader every day. I call it one crocodile at a time. It’s like a little catchphrase my son has. I’ve stolen it from him.

[00:26:07] Chaahat: Yeah. So just like AI, you’re trying to have multiple roles and do everything correctly.

[00:26:11] Rodney: Yeah, yeah.

[00:26:13] Chaahat: So has your definition of success changed over time?

[00:26:16] Rodney: I used to compare myself to others and that’s actually quite unhealthy.

[00:26:22] Chaahat: Yeah. Looking back, what do you think is your biggest failure or setback and what did it teach you?

[00:26:28] Rodney: When I was 23, I almost got fired for being late constantly.

I probably shouldn’t laugh, but, like, it’s. You can only laugh about it now.

And for me, like, what it meant is I needed to take control of my life and make changes and not hope things that would. Hope that things would change.

[00:26:49] Chaahat: I think that’s a very important point you mentioned. And I think back in the day, the things were not as flexible as they are now with the work from home and everything. So it’s a constant battle to get up every morning and find the motivation to be there on time. So I can definitely relate to that.

[00:27:04] Rodney: It was working in a sheet metal factory, so we started at seven. So it was seven on the dot and it wasn’t to arrive at seven and then sort of wander into the day. It was like get cracking at 7 o’. Clock. And there were too many times. I was arriving at 7, 10, 7, 15. There’s no flex, there’s no working from home in a sheet metal factory.

[00:27:25] Chaahat: Yeah. And I’m sure that that has helped you be more punctual on the meetings, like later in your career as well.

[00:27:32] Rodney: It was more than a push and a shove, but it was definitely what I needed at the time.

[00:27:35] Chaahat: And for someone who is listening right now, who wants to break into cyber security, especially from like a sales or a business background, where should they start?

[00:27:45] Rodney: Ask a lot of people a lot of questions. Find a role or a pathway that you want to move into and just go after it.

[00:27:52] Chaahat: So what are the two top two to three skills that people should focus on while they’re entering the cybersecurity?

[00:27:59] Rodney: Learn about the basics of cybersecurity. It’s not a product thing, it’s so it’s actually understanding the fundamentals.

You know, do courses that give you that perspective and that foundation. I know for me there was one course that I did, it was called Certificate of Information Security Management Principles and it was not cheap. I think it was like nearly $3,800 and I spent that money. It was a five day course that I did because I wanted to invest in finding out like the foundation of what cybersecurity is.

The second thing is find people in that industry and whatever those fields are to learn from them, you know, that can mentor you, help you. They also become a great network to help you break into whatever area that you’re trying to get into because they’re going to know people that you do not. And then if you’re a top student, like those people will recommend you in there. So like my other little tip is that anyone, if you’re ever mentoring, being mentored by someone, treat their time with the utmost respect because they’re loaning out their time for you.

So you need to honor that and make the most of it. So being a top student is critical.

[00:29:17] Chaahat: So you mentioned about mentorship. Was there any like a good mentor in your life that really shaped the way you looked at something?

[00:29:24] Rodney: I’ve actually got two.

So one, who is my boss for a number of years, Phil Phillips. There’s little phrases that he would chirp in me and I still, I now say them as well. I feel like he’s a little bit of his brain sort of chipped me. And then the other person who I refer to as my like anchor mentor and I met this person at Cisco, his name’s Glenn McPherson and he has been instrumental into all of my big career discussions, decisions. He’s been a wonderful help for, I think it’s nearly 16 years now. And the thing I love from him is that he was so brutally honest with every bit of feedback and telling me things I didn’t want to hear as well. And I can’t thank him enough for all of that. Can’t thank both of them enough for all of that.

[00:30:16] Chaahat: I think when you mention about feedback that’s, it’s really important to take a constructive feedback and then work on it. And I feel like a lot of early professionals like Myself. We struggle with confidence and just going on and asking for, oh, is there something I could improve in myself? So what’s the biggest mistake like we’re making? Like, how can we overcome this struggle of confidence and going up and asking for feedback ourselves?

[00:30:41] Rodney: So the first thing is probably understanding a bit more about yourself so you know why you’re not confident. Because sometimes that’s a knowledge gap or is it a gap in self belief or is it a bit of both? And here’s the other thing is seeking the feedback, like you gotta want to go and hear the stuff you don’t want to hear sounds counterintuitive. But seeking that feedback from trusted leaders and people are essential because if you’re struggling with that confidence, if you’re not seeking the feedback and sharing that with people that you trust, you’re going to suffer alone. That’s just not a healthy place to be.

[00:31:17] Chaahat: So what’s one practical thing that students or early professionals can do this week to particularly stand out?

[00:31:24] Rodney: Don’t be too hard on yourself, but be honest with yourself.

[00:31:29] Chaahat: So now let’s combine your experience with what’s the most important non technical lesson that you’ve learned in your career. I know there’s a lot that you’ve shared. So what’s like one resource like a book or like you mentioned you got the certification.

Is there anything that also motivates you like daily with like AI coming in? Is there any resource you follow or any publication to keep you update with that or is it more sort of just like going in and applying and checking out different models?

[00:31:57] Rodney: So I answer the first question in terms of like that first lesson, I’ll give you a quote and it’s from my wife.

She said, you need to have more belief in yourself.

I know what you’re capable of. I can see it. The other questions on, you know, what are the resources?

So there’s one book it’s not that I live and die by, but it was for me it was a game changer. Remember I said a bit earlier about understanding yourself.

So there’s a book called Strengths Finder 2.0. It’s by Gallup Institute or it’s, you know, the author is Tom Rath. That’ll be the best money that anyone ever spends on themselves.

Because if you want to find out what your five actual talents are, what those makeups are, and then have practical advice for how do you go about working on your talents and turning those things into strengths. If you’re actually serious about anything in your career and improving yourself Just buy that book. Best investment for your career, full stop. I actually use it as a.

I’m going to give away one of my secrets now. When I’m mentoring people, I find out how hungry they are to learn because the first thing they have to do before we have any session is they have to buy the book and they have to tell me what their five talents are at the end of it and then what that means to them.

Because if they don’t spend that money on that book, they’re not serious about their career and actually wanting to improve.

And I don’t want to give them that time. Bit harsh, but I use that as a. It’s like I’m trying to find out, like, how much do you actually want this?

[00:33:37] Chaahat: I think a good introspection always helps in the long run as well. If they know the five talents, they can utilize and always come back to the five talent things like in cyber, we do or detect, protect. This one.

[00:33:49] Rodney: Yeah. For me, like, there were things I already knew about myself, but I didn’t really understand what that meant and I couldn’t articulate it. And this book helped me articulate how my brain worked.

[00:34:01] Chaahat: It’s definitely a good buy then.

[00:34:04] Rodney: It’s a magnificent buy.

[00:34:05] Chaahat: So last question I want to ask is, if you could go back to your younger self starting out at Cisco, what advice would you give?

[00:34:13] Rodney: Buy Bitcoin.

That’s a bit of a cheat, a bit of a cheeky response. That’s about the only advice I would give. Buy Bitcoin.

[00:34:21] Chaahat: That is not expected.

[00:34:23] Rodney: Yeah, this is such a, you know, one of those, like sliding door moment questions.

And I’ve pro. I’ve come to the point where I don’t want to go back and give myself any advice because there are valuable lessons that I’ve learned on my journey that I might not have learned if I’d given myself a heads up.

[00:34:49] Chaahat: Yeah, that’s a very valid point. People often learn from mistakes more than the advice.

[00:34:53] Rodney: So if I’d given myself a little bit of a heads up, there are things that I might not have, things that I needed to go through to learn that put me in a better position today. And if I give myself a heads up, I might not learn those lessons.

[00:35:06] Chaahat: And I’ll just have a rapid fire round with three short questions you can answer in one word and then we’re done. So my first question is, what’s the one trait you look when you’re hiring someone in your team?

[00:35:16] Rodney: Energy. It’s not a passion. Passion doesn’t pay bills but it’s like having an energy and wanting to show that they’re like on this constant improvement of themselves and also that they’re just open and willing to learn.

[00:35:31] Chaahat: What’s a habit or routine that’s non negotiable in your day?

[00:35:35] Rodney: Telling my wife I love her and journaling in the morning.

[00:35:39] Chaahat: What’s one mindset shift that changed your career?

[00:35:43] Rodney: Don’t be afraid of taking risks.

[00:35:46] Chaahat: Thank you for tuning into this episode of Destination Cyber Season 2.

[00:35:50] VO: Knowledge is a gift, but its true value is in how you use it.

[00:35:54] Chaahat: Whoa, where did you come from?

[00:35:56] VO: Just dropping by to remind everyone. Learning is great, but doing is even better.

[00:36:01] Chaahat: Timely advice if today’s episode left you with questions or sparked new ideas, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. And don’t forget to follow the podcast so you’re always ready for the next stop on our cyber journey. This is Chaahat signing off until we re encrypt another conversation on Destination Cyber, Season 2.