Rekha Gairola
Director, India – Global Safety & Security, Adobe
In an era of high-stakes corporate risk where uncertainty, reputational damage or business disruption is one incident away, the role of the corporate security leader has never been more important. These leaders, in the boardrooms and beyond, are the under-the-radar forces who are ensuring the safety of employees; protecting assets; ensuring a continuity for brands. But even as their job has become more significant and crucial, many security heads are still shut out from strategic decisions. It’s not really about performance, it’s all perception – and the essence of that perception problem is communication.
Let’s unpack why communication – the spoken word, non-verbals and vocals, are no longer a ‘soft skill’ for today’s corporate security professional. It is the divide between influence and invisibility. That’s the difference between being perceived as a cost centre, or as a strategic partner. And for most, it is the piece that is missing in their leadership.
The Quiet Side of the Corporate Map
Corporate security function has evolved at a fairly fast pace in India and at other regions as well. Security teams who used to focus only on guarding and gatekeeping manage a wide spectrum of tasks today – insider threats, investigations, business continuity, regulatory risk, workplace violence and even political intelligence. But they have not ridden this trend to increased access to decision-making rooms.
Too often, security is:
- Coming in late to important initiatives.
- Scattered across different reporting lines.
- Left to ‘just manage operations.’
- Budgeted to perform under extreme constraints.
And the result? A critical function that’s marginalized in business conversations – tools that we need for the future, but no one seems to want them in a business conversation.
Why the Gap? A Communication Deficit
The disconnect is seldom a failure of expertise. In fact, the vast majority of security people have great operational excellence. But they also stem from military, police or engineering backgrounds, environments that reward directness and execution, not always headline writing and persuasion.
This creates a communication gap:
- Articles are dense with facts, but not strategy.
- Presentations are full of data, and it is no wonder they sound dull.
- The engagement of stakeholders informs rather than affects.
And security is in itself, preventive. But here’s the twist – when you successfully avert something, nothing happens. And then when everything doesn’t, you have to tell the audience very clearly and forcefully what could have happened but didn’t.
Communication: The Power and Art of Persuasion
In this fresh paradigm, communication is not add-on – it’s fundamental leadership capability. As they lead their organizations through multifaceted, complex risk, security professionals must understand the business lens and know how to influence peers across functional lines in building trust at every level.
One useful lens through which we can view this is by using Maslow’s Five Levels of Communication:
- Cliché Communication: ‘Small talk,’ – trivial, superficial communication.
- Informational Communication: Passing on facts, statistics etc.
- Opinion Expression: Statements of preference or view.
- Emotion: Concern, Belief, Urgency.
- Real/ Strategic Communication: Higher trust, more aligned talk that gets things done.
Well, most security communication lives at level 2. Leadership is alive on levels 4 and 5.
Here are the 3 Principles Of ‘Leadership Communication’
Verbal: Framing the message
A poignant message begins with resonant words. Security executives need to contextualize risk for the business, and not just in technical detail.
Examples:
- Instead of saying “We reviewed fire compliance,” say – “We removed a ₹3 crore liability from regulatory exposure.”
- Demonstrate the price of precaution with real events. Steer clear of jargon. Speak in simple, business-first language.
Non-verbal: How you show up
The way you stand, the way you look, how your eyes meet, what’s on your slides, even what you put in an email, helps shape that message. Confidence attracts attention long before competence.
Build executive presence by – when meeting with others, the gestures should be calm and open; designing narratives through crisp and bold visuals; and writing to be read and acted upon.
Vocal: The Energetics of Communication
Monotone delivery drains attention. Dynamic vocal delivery builds trust. Work on pitch, tone, pausing and modulation to bring energy to your delivery, particularly when giving a crisis briefing or board update.
A Missed Opportunity: A True Anecdote
I had the pleasure of meeting Rajesh (Changed the name and related info to maintain confidentiality) at a regional leadership workshop in Mumbai. He was responsible for all corporate security at several manufacturing facilities throughout western India. He was battle-tested, unflappable under pressure and had quietly stewarded the city through crises as varied as labor strikes and flood evacuations.
During one of the breaks, over a cup of tea, he mentioned something almost in passing – how, a few weeks earlier, his team had quietly leaned on local community leaders to spare his plant from yet another protest before it reached its gates.
That one act enabled a full production run to take place, avoided any bad press and ensured that 600 of our employees worked for the rest of the year safely, never knowing there had been a threat.
When I asked whether he had brought this up with the leadership team, he shrugged – “It’s part of the job,” he said, “If nothing was done, yeah, we did well.”
That moment stuck with me, because it expressed the very challenge this article is concerned with. The point isn’t that security leaders aren’t doing good work it’s that they’re not talking about it.
Rajesh didn’t lack impact. He didn’t have an outlet or perhaps license to talk about it in ways the business could relate to and value. And he’s not alone. From one industry to the next, countless professionals like him are cutting down on risk, protecting their companies’ brand reputation and protecting people every day, all while being mostly out of sight for decision makers.
So, How Much Is Poor Communication Costing?
The results are nuanced, but profound:
- Underfunding due to unclear RoI.
- Underappreciation of the team’s impact.
- Missed influence in cross-functional decisions.
- Speaking positions being granted to the loudest not necessarily most qualified voices.
When security leaders abandon their own voice, others define their value.
From Good to Great: What Security Leaders Need to Do Now
- Invest in Communication Skills: Communication is a skill that can be studied and practiced in the same way surveillance or investigation can. Attend leadership communication workshops.
- Build a Communication Strategy: Don’t just report incidents. Publish quarterly ‘Security at a Glance’ briefings. Create visual dashboards. Draft clear talking points for your leadership team to use on your behalf.
- Celebrate and Humanise Successes: Share success stories that have emotional significance and impact, not just numbers. Illustrate how security has helped employees feel safer, clients more secure or regulators more confident.
- Train Your Team: Your people represent your function. Teach them how to write clearly in every email, incident report and stakeholder meeting.
- Leverage Technology: Leverage GenAI templates as a news wire platform to synthesize reports into briefs, build visuals and streamline day-to-day communication so you can work on strategic messaging.
- Build Partnerships: Work closely with HR, Legal, IT, Admin and Communication team. The deeper you are, the more value you can bring and the more legitimacy your voice carries.
The Voice Behind the Shield
The world does not simply require security professionals to defeat threats. It requires leadership that predicts them, communicates them and affects action. Security is possibly behind, but the voice surely should not be. You already have a seat at the table. Now speak like it!
Because when corporate security speaks with authority, the business pays attention.
(The author is also an Internationally Certified Life Skills Trainer)
