Dez Rock
Co-Founder and CEO, SIEMonster
Dez shares her nonlinear career path of self-discovery towards authentic leadership, her experiences as a first-generation immigrant and a woman in Tech, what it means to hold more than one country in your heart as your home, and her commitment to creating a safe space for those she leads in the cybersecurity industry.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[00:55] – Dino introduces the podcast and guest, Dez Rock, CEO and founder of cybersecurity company SIEMonster.
[02:27] – Dez introduces herself and discusses her entrepreneurial background and nonlinear career path.
[04:27] – Dez discusses how her early leadership skills developed through group projects and dog training.
[06:28] – Dez reflects on her journey working through her baggage to become an effective leader.
[09:19] – Dez shares how she found her true inner self and now leads from the heart.
[09:22] – Dez’s decision to share her behind-the-scenes life and her choice to be authentic and work through her struggles publicly.
[10:56] – Dez shares that to her being authentic means not hiding from anyone, including work, and how she weighed the decision to be public about her struggles.
[13:18] – Standing by her journey and authenticity.
[14:50] – Being authentic can filter out superficial leads and attract more connected people.
[15:57] – Dez emphasizes the importance of looking after and creating a safe space for those she leads, undoing toxic corporate culture.
17:31] – Doing the hard work to find the oneness within yourself to be a good leader.
[18:01] -Unpacking what stands in the way of great leadership.
[18:34] – How Dez’s view of leadership crystallized early on.
[19:13] – Good leadership feeds into every aspect of one’s life. Why practicing leadership within your own family is crucial.
[20:28] – Dez acknowledges the challenges of being a woman in Tech.
[22:05] – Dez emphasizes the importance of asking the people who work with you for honest feedback on your leadership skills.
[22:34] – Dez shares her story of being a first-generation immigrant from a small town on the coast of the Black Sea in Turkey and how she ended up in the US.
[24:12] – Dino and Dez discuss their experiences of feeling like they belong in multiple places and the struggles that come with it.
[25:38] -Dez recounts her journey of coming to terms with her multiple identities and the emotional toll of being labeled with a derogatory term during her upbringing in Australia.
[29:05] -Dez explains the role of SIEMonster and how they alert organizations about potential cybersecurity threats.
[30:19] – Dez discusses the need for more regulation in the cybersecurity industry to counteract human behavior.
[31:45] – If you want to learn more about Dez, you can find her on LinkedIn or check out SIEMonster’s website to learn more about the services they offer.
[32:58] – Dez shares the motivation behind everything she does and the hobby she calls ‘yoga for the mind.’
[33:35] – The one hobby Dez would never give up.
[33:50] – The business jargon Dez doesn’t want to hear—it tries her patience.
[35:23] – Dez shares the magic of “breaking bread” that allows for that connectivity and bonding even though you think you have nothing in common.
[36:11] – The one thing Dez craves from her hometown of Rizza, which represents her ancestral background and provides a sense of comfort and home.
[36:28] – Dez reveals her secret weapon soundtrack for hyping herself up in competitive situations: a powerful song called “Playing to Win” by Australian singer-songwriter John Farnham.
Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com
Websites:
Other links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dez-rock
Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo
Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo
Podcast Instagram – @al4edp
Podcast Twitter – @al4edp
Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp
Music