Most of us have heard the saying, “No pain, no gain.” For cybersecurity leaders navigating the high-stakes world of defending critical systems, this phrase takes on a whole new meaning. Pain, in this context, doesn’t have to mean the physical discomfort. Instead, it’s the uncomfortable reality of facing constant threats, adapting to a rapidly shifting landscape, and shouldering the pressure of being the frontline defence for organisations.
Pain is frustrating, exhausting, and unrelenting—but it’s also your greatest ally. It signals growth, ushers in innovation, and shapes resilient leaders. That’s what this blog is all about. In it, I’ll be examining how pain in cybersecurity leadership isn’t just a nuisance. It’s your guide.
When you experience discomfort implementing a new solution, navigating a crisis, or leading your team through uncertainty, it’s a sure sign that you’re stepping out of your comfort zone. And outside that zone is exactly where the magic happens. Jon Staniforth, former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Royal Mail, spoke about this recently on the BBC’s The Bottom Line, a podcast with Evan Davis. It’s worth a listen.
Adapting to Evolving Threats
One key area where pain manifests for cybersecurity leaders is in adapting to increasing and sometimes sophisticated cyber threats. The moment you land on strategies to mitigate current attacks, the goalposts move. Attack vectors evolve. Bad actors advance their tactics. It can feel like a never-ending uphill battle against ransomware, supply chain breaches, and zero-day vulnerabilities.
But here’s the thing about battling these threats—you don’t grow by playing it safe. And it feels odd saying that. However, if you’re still relying solely on legacy defences, you’re shielding yourself in your comfort zone while exposing your organisation to critical risk. True growth (both personal and organisational) happens when you face these challenges head-on, even when the solutions aren’t initially clear or comfortable.
Take the rise of AI-driven attacks. These sophisticated threats leverage machine learning to evade traditional defences. Early adopters of AI-based cybersecurity solutions had to face the initial growing pains of implementing complex, cutting-edge systems. It was painful to retrain staff, shift operations, and invest heavily in unproven technologies. But the payoff? Those who endured the pain of early adoption are now among some of the best-positioned to counter AI-driven threats.
Or consider cloud migration. Many leaders resisted cloud infrastructure for years due to concerns about compliance and security. For those who pushed through the discomfort, however, the pain of securing cloud implementations led to better agility, streamlined operations, and enhanced defense capabilities.
Pain is the necessary price of progress. Resistance to discomfort keeps you stuck. Leaning into the challenges positions you ahead of the curve.
Leading Teams Through Crises
If navigating evolving threats is the technical pain of cybersecurity, leading through a breach or crisis is the emotional pain. Security leaders know that breaches aren’t a matter of “if” but “when.” Or, as I so often say, “when you discover they’ve already happened.” The inevitability of being breached is a hard pill to swallow. Add to that the high-pressure environment post-incident, when all eyes are on you to respond, analyse, and recover, and it’s easy to see where the discomfort comes in.
But leaders grow most during moments of pressure. Crisis forces you to communicate clearly, act decisively, and build trust within your team and across the organisation. It’s not easy, but each breach or incident is a masterclass in leadership under stress.
Consider the SolarWinds breach of 2020. The organisations impacted had no choice but to endure the painful process of reviewing supply chain dependencies, patching compromised systems, and reevaluating security protocols. The leaders who effectively shepherded their teams during the chaos didn’t panic; they pivoted. They adapted to the pain of the moment to emerge more prepared for the next inevitable challenge.
Transforming Pain Into Growth
The discomforts of cybersecurity aren’t just barriers to overcome; they’re teachers. Champions in any field understand this truth. Cybersecurity, much like competitive sports, rewards those who learn to endure and grow from the pain they encounter.
Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “I realised that pain could become pleasure. I was benefiting from pain. I was breaking through the pain barrier and shocking the muscles.” Though he was speaking about bodybuilding, the parallel to security leadership is striking. Every technical deployment, every late-night response to a critical alert, and every difficult decision you make is reinforcing your resilience.
Brian Tracy, an expert on achievement, famously observed that “Only a small percentage will continually push themselves out into the zone of discomfort, and these are always the highest performers.” For cybersecurity leaders, this means adopting tools or techniques that feel unfamiliar, stepping into difficult conversations with executives, or even facing criticism after a breach, knowing that each moment of discomfort strengthens your leadership.
An Example: Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone to Strengthen Cybersecurity
A few years ago, I was working with an organisation where the traditional cybersecurity approach was heavily tech-focused — firewalls, endpoint detection, patching schedules — all essential, but the human element was seen as secondary.
The leadership team was reluctant to engage directly with employees beyond mandatory phishing tests. But after a major third-party incident exposed gaps in supplier security, it became clear the strategy was too narrow.
Stepping out of the comfort zone meant shifting focus from purely technical defences to embedding cybersecurity into the organisational culture – in other words, human risk management.
We launched interactive workshops with non-technical teams — not just PowerPoints, but real conversations where employees shared where security controls were unintuitive or slowing them down.
The result?
- Security controls were simplified based on user feedback
- Incident reporting increased because people felt empowered, not blamed
- Leadership gained better visibility into real-world vulnerabilities
It was uncomfortable at first — engineers worried about diluting standards, and some leaders didn’t want to hear that processes were part of the problem. But embracing that discomfort directly strengthened the overall cybersecurity posture.
Practical Steps for Cybersecurity Growth
Here’s an activity to help you visualise the value of you stepping into discomfort. Grab a pen and draw a small circle in the middle of a piece of paper. Inside, write, “Where I am now – my comfort zone.” Around this circle, draw a larger one and label it, “The pain and growth zone.” Finally, draw one more circle beyond the second and call it, “The innovation and leadership zone.”
Now think about the challenges you’re facing in your current role. Are you primarily operating in your comfort zone? Are you avoiding necessary changes because they’re hard or unfamiliar? If that’s you, recognise the potential for growth outside your comfort zone. Strategically plan your development by gradually expanding your boundaries. And, pay attention to your behaviour, because that way, you’ll realise when you need to push yourself further into the innovation zone.
To expand your zones, consider these steps:
- Adopt a Proactive Threat Posture – Implement risk-based frameworks like Zero Trust Architecture, NIST CSF, ISO 27005, FAIR etc. even if it’s disruptive in the short term. Pain now prevents breaches later.
- Experiment with Emerging Tech – Explore quantum encryption or next-gen SIEM solutions. Staying ahead means adapting to tools that might initially seem complex.
- Develop Your Team – Upskilling your security team can be a logistical challenge, but the investment in their growth makes your entire organisation stronger, especially when you’re using human risk management solutions.
- Focus on Communication – Leading through crises requires clarity. Practice presenting technical problems and solutions in ways business leaders understand. The discomfort of simplifying complex concepts pays dividends in trust and buy-in.
Where the Magic Happens
Each new challenge you face builds toward a version of you that is more resilient, informed, and innovative. By leaning into the difficulties of your role, you expand not only your skill set but also your ability to protect and empower your organisation.
Yes, pain is frustrating, and It’s exhausting. But it’s also the key to growing as a leader and staying ahead in an industry that demands resilience. Pain doesn’t make you wrong, and when the pain of every change, growth opportunity, and tough decision fades, what you’re left with is transformation, expertise, and results that will be remembered. In cybersecurity, this is where the magic happens!
Now I want to hear from you
Join me on LinkedIn for the conversation, and in the comments, tell me how you deal with the pain that results from expanding your comfort zone and what techniques you use to combat it.
