Artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity are critical technology areas that demand close attention from all executives. While managing technology may be second nature for roles such as the CIO, CTO, or CISO, it is less intuitive for other members of the C-suite. Executives can no longer afford to have a superficial understanding of technology if they want to foster an intelligent, resilient environment that supports sustainable business growth. Their involvement in deploying AI and cybersecurity is now essential, as these areas depend on an integrated ecosystem that spans multiple business functions. Organizations that overlook this necessity risk compromising their future.
Business leaders must adopt a strategic approach to grow and excel in AI and cybersecurity, ensuring they can effectively lead these critical areas.
People can access various tools to develop new knowledge and acquire new skills. Education, training, and mentoring are the most common methods for acquiring hard skills, while coaching often is used to develop soft skills and foster personal growth. Advisory and guidance also can be highly effective but are less frequently used in the context of knowledge and skills acquisition.
Professionals often rely on academic education as a foundation before starting their careers. They supplement this with ongoing training and coaching to deepen their knowledge and expertise in core areas (e.g., a CFO regularly updates their understanding of tax regulations). However, when senior leaders need to acquire knowledge outside their professional expertise, they frequently face challenges in finding an approach that fits their reality.
Traditional education and training yield excellent results when part of a proactive strategy. However, this approach can be challenging for some leaders due to the significant time investment required, and knowledge often is acquired only after completing the entire educational process.
Mentoring typically helps to refine existing knowledge and build expertise, while advisory services offer limited alternatives for acquiring new insights.
Senior leaders never stop learning, but they need an approach tailored to their needs and constraints—time, the immediate need for knowledge, and learning from experts—especially in technology.
A New Approach
In June 2024, Cynergence, an American company, introduced the AWAKEN Growth Model (AGM). This model is specifically designed to support C-suite executives in their growth within cybersecurity, though its approach can be seamlessly adapted to other domains.
The AWAKEN Growth Model (AGM) is built upon three foundational pillars:
- Learn fast
- Learn from the best
- Learn with multiple tools
Learn fast: Senior executives rarely can afford to spend weeks in a classroom or in front of a computer acquiring specific knowledge when they need to make decisions swiftly. The AGM approach is based on isolating the knowledge gap associated with a particular problem and addressing it in just a couple of hours. The term, “microlearning,” often is associated with this practice.
Learn from the best: Senior executives prefer learning from highly experienced professionals rather than teachers who know the theory but lack practical experience. In the AWAKEN Growth Model, the practitioners are subject matter experts (SMEs) who have developed teaching, mentoring, coaching, and advisory skills. This enables them to quickly design a tailored approach to help an executive understand a specific situation. The practitioner’s role is to guide the executive to understand the root cause of the problem and teach them leading practice to fix it or make a decision.
Learn with multiple tools: The AGM practitioner utilizes a toolbox that includes coaching, training, mentoring, and advisory. They select the best potential tool(s) based on the client’s profile, culture, business context, and challenge. Using different tools does not necessarily mean using one technique versus another. The practitioner can use several tools simultaneously to obtain the expected result.
The Awaken Growth Model uses a process similar to the well-known GROW model, but the main difference is in the tool selection. In the AGM, the practitioner selects the tool, which is four different practices (Coaching, Training, Mentoring, and Advisory). Also, the AGM practitioner is called a “Guide” to avoid any potential confusion between coach, mentor, and trainer or teacher.
While this approach may seem intuitive, it represents a subtle yet revolutionary shift in the training industry. It uniquely integrates various tools, typically employed by different practitioners to address specific challenges, into a single, coherent strategy with a laser-focused approach.
The Real Challenge of this Approach
The Awaken Growth Model supports the C-suite and fills a critical gap in current training practices. While the AGM offers significant benefits, it also presents two key challenges.
- First, the AGM practitioner must embody multiple roles: expert, coach, tutor, mentor, and advisor. Finding professionals with this diverse skill set is challenging. For instance, while former CISOs with extensive certifications and more than 15 years of cybersecurity experience are common, few possess substantial coaching experience, even if they have mentored or advised others.
- Second, the AGM requires practitioners to focus exclusively on their client’s growth without engaging in consulting activities. Instead, they provide coaching, training, and advisory support, ensuring the client remains in the driver’s seat. This can be particularly challenging for practitioners with a technical background known for solving problems.
While the AGM’s focused approach can quickly close specific technology knowledge gaps, developing a broad knowledge base with this model could be more challenging than other options.
The Future of the AGM
Cynergence supports senior leaders with the AWAKEN Growth Model. The company’s success demonstrates that the AGM is effective for C-suite executives who must elevate in technology and cybersecurity. However, this alone does not fully validate the approach or guarantee its future popularity. If other sectors, such as healthcare or manufacturing, adopt the AGM, it could signal that this model has the potential to be a new tool in the training area that could effectively cover the specific needs of the C-suite.
