Written By Dora Mensah
There comes a point in your career when being the person who knows the answer is no longer enough.
You can be the person leadership calls when an assessment is going wrong, when a risk needs explaining, or when a difficult compliance issue needs resolving, and still discover that being indispensable technically is not the same as being positioned for leadership.
For many Black women in cybersecurity, that is a familiar place.
We assess risk, review vulnerabilities, lead audits, interpret regulatory requirements, manage remediation efforts, and help organizations make critical decisions.
The challenge is making sure that contribution is recognized for what it really is: leadership.
After almost a decade working in cybersecurity governance, risk, and compliance, particularly in complex public-sector environments, I realized that advancing required something different from me.
I did not need to abandon my technical expertise.
I needed to learn how to translate it into influence.
I think about that transition through what I call the SCALE Framework: Speak the language of business, Capture your impact, Articulate at the executive level, Leverage sponsorship, and Execute at the next level now.
S — Speak the Language of Business
Identifying a technical problem is only half the job.
Executives need to understand what that problem means to the organization.
A vulnerability is not simply a vulnerability. It may represent operational disruption, regulatory exposure, financial loss, reputational damage, or an inability to deliver critical services.
A control deficiency is not simply a failed control. It may mean the organization is carrying more risk than leadership realizes.
Instead of stopping at “This control is ineffective,” explain what could happen if it is not corrected, how serious the exposure is, and what decision leadership needs to make.
That is the shift from reporting problems to influencing decisions.
Before your next leadership briefing, ask yourself: If I removed the technical terminology, could I still explain why this matters to the business?
If not, keep translating.
Technical excellence can make you indispensable. Strategic influence makes your value visible.
C — Capture Your Impact
There is a difference between responsibility and impact.
“Conducted security assessments” describes a responsibility.
“Led assessments across multiple systems, identified recurring control weaknesses, and helped improve assessment readiness and remediation timelines” communicates impact.
Keep track of the problems you solved, the processes you improved, the risks you reduced, the teams you influenced, and the decisions you helped shape.
This is especially important for Black women who may find themselves carrying significant responsibilities without receiving equally visible recognition.
You cannot always control who notices your work.
You can control whether you know how to articulate its value.
Create an impact document and update it regularly. Record measurable outcomes when possible: assessments completed, systems supported, timelines improved, teams led, processes created, or risks reduced.
Do not wait until your next interview, performance review, or promotion opportunity to remember what you accomplished.
A — Articulate at the Executive Level
Technical credibility may get you invited into the meeting.
Communication determines whether people listen when you get there.
Executive communication is not about sounding more impressive. It is about communicating clearly, confidently, and concisely.
Senior leaders usually need to understand three things:
What is happening?
Why does it matter?
What do you recommend?
You should know the technical details and be prepared to defend your analysis. But you do not have to lead with every detail you know.
Lead with the message.
Before walking into a senior-level meeting, ask yourself: If I had only two minutes, what would leadership absolutely need to understand?
Executive presence is not about sounding important.
It is about making complicated things understandable enough for people to act.
L — Leverage Sponsorship
Mentorship matters, but mentorship and sponsorship are not the same.
A mentor may give you advice.
A sponsor says your name when you are not in the room.
Sponsors recommend you for opportunities, introduce you to decision-makers, advocate for your potential, and put you forward for assignments that expand your visibility.
Sometimes, particularly as Black women, we assume the answer to advancement is another certification, another degree, or another credential.
Education matters. I have invested heavily in mine.
But there comes a point when the question becomes less, “What else do I need to prove?” and more, “Who knows what I can do?”
Build relationships with leaders who can see how you think, solve problems, and lead.
Do excellent work. Build trust. Take on meaningful assignments. Ask thoughtful questions. Let people see you operate beyond the boundaries of your job description.
Sponsorship grows where credibility, visibility, and relationships meet.
Your next promotion may not require you to know more.
It may require more people to understand the value of what you already know.
E — Execute at the Next Level Now
Do not wait for a promotion to begin leading.
Volunteer to lead the project.
Mentor someone newer to the field.
Improve the broken process.
Facilitate the difficult meeting.
Bring teams together.
Present the recommendation.
Take ownership when the path forward is unclear.
At some point in your career, your value is no longer measured only by how well you execute your own work. It is also measured by your ability to create clarity, develop people, influence decisions, and move an organization forward.
Ask yourself: What am I doing in my current position that demonstrates I can operate at the next level?
If the answer is difficult to identify, find an opportunity to lead now.
It’s Time to SCALE
For Black women in cybersecurity, the next level may not require becoming more technically capable.
Many of us are already highly capable.
The next move may be learning to position that capability differently.
Speak the language of business. Capture your impact. Articulate at the executive level. Leverage sponsorship. Execute at the next level now.
That is how we SCALE.
A seat at the table is important.
But a seat alone is not the goal.
The goal is to influence the conversation, shape the decision, lead the people, and help determine what happens next.
For Black women in cybersecurity who have spent years proving we can do the work, the next season may not be about proving we belong.
It is about leading like we already know we do.
RELATED CONTENT: Shaq Gets Serious About Cybersecurity After Getting Hacked