The Smartest Person in the Room Quotes

“Cybersecurity is a support industry, and a lot of professionals in the industry tend to forget that. These professionals think that cybersecurity is an industry unto itself, but it wouldn’t exist without other industries (like manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services).”
― Christian Espinosa, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

“I’m a big proponent of ownership, so I blamed myself, but as I matured, I realized people who don’t want to change won’t. I also realized there are a lot of people out there who do claim they want to change but still won’t.”
― Christian Espinosa, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

“Many technical people also struggle with curiosity. In public, they often lack curiosity. Yet, in private, it is my experience that technical people are very curious. Some would rather stay silent than be exposed for their lack of knowledge. These people care mainly about being the smartest person in the room, which inhibits their communication skills.”
― Christian Espinosa, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

“Your people and their poor communication skills are the reason your data was stolen, not your lack of cutting-edge technology. Their need to be the smartest person in the room and their substandard people skills have rendered them unable to communicate clearly and work effectively with others to solve problems. That’s why we’re losing the cybersecurity war.”
― Christian Espinosa, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

“There is a correlation between the personality types of technical people and our “black or white” mindsets. We have chosen career fields where the fundamentals are 1s and 0s, on or off, so it makes sense we view the world as black and white, rather than with shades of gray.”
― Christian Espinosa, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

“perfection is the enemy of execution.”
― Christian Espinosa, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. —Plato”
― Christian Espinosa, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity