Human Element

N-able's Kevin O'Connor on Why Hiring Smarter Than Yourself Scales Security Teams

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Kevin O’Connor's decade at the NSA taught him that the path to effective security leadership runs counter to most instincts: hire people smarter than yourself, let experts drive decisions in their domains, and focus on empowering careers beyond your team rather than confirming what you already believe. As Director of Threat Research at N-able, Kevin now applies this bottom-up approach to protecting small and medium businesses. 

Ben and Kevin explore how mission-driven environments shape leadership styles that prioritize purpose over compensation, why mistakes become valuable only when you own the outcome and manage the recovery process, and how the transition from individual contributor to team leader represents the most challenging shift in any security career. Kevin also shares his framework for turning organizational roadblocks into opportunities, why project management skills separate effective leaders from those who struggle under competing priorities, and how to build team cultures where people actually want to spend time together beyond work obligations.

Stories We’re Telling Today: 
  • How mission-driven environments shape leadership approaches that prioritize empowering experts over top-down command structures
  • Why hiring people smarter than yourself accelerates team growth and organizational capability
  • Taking immediate ownership, keeping leadership informed of evolving risks, and focusing on impact reduction rather than blame avoidance
  • Transforming organizational nos into yeses by identifying the real issue, providing education, and demonstrating mission-critical value
  • Why project management and organizational skills matter more than technical expertise once you move into leadership positions
  • Managing the transition from individual contributor to team leader and establishing appropriate boundaries with former peers

    • Too busy; didn’t listen: 

    • Kevin O'Connor's leadership philosophy centers on hiring people smarter than himself and letting domain experts drive decisions, an approach developed during a decade at the NSA where mission mattered more than compensation.
    • Effective mistake management focuses on how you stick the landing: take ownership immediately, keep leadership informed of evolving risks, and reduce impact rather than hide problems.
    • Small and medium businesses now face the same threat surface as large enterprises due to cloud services and third-party integrations, making them increasingly attractive targets for E-crime actors seeking multiple smaller ransoms.
    • The transition from individual contributor to team leader represents the hardest shift in security careers, requiring new boundaries with former peers and learning to empower rather than execute.
    • Foundational skills like networking remain critical despite AI advances, while daily news consumption and strong professional networks provide the currency that keeps security leaders relevant.

      • Skip to the Highlight of the episode: 

      [2:51-3:15] “And then I think also just being around that top talent, the people who were just so smart, I'm not the smartest guy in the room, but I'm pretty quick. But some of the guys I worked with, the guys and girls, they were just next level, next tier. And that always just drove me to make sure that I was never the smartest person in the room. That's the way you grow. If you're hiring to confirm what you're thinking or your mindset, you're never going to get anywhere.” 

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      Human ElementBy Maltego