It’s Not in the Manual

What makes a great leader in security and risk? It’s not in the manual.

It’s Not In the Manual shatters the illusion that effective leadership in security, risk, and resilience is all about titles, certifications, or rigid frameworks. In a world where cyber threats, insider risk, reputational landmines, and geopolitical chaos overlap, this book delivers something far more valuable: hard-earned wisdom, human vulnerability—and a wry sense of humor.

Written with both erudition and pop culture sensibility, the book blends field-tested insights with sharp wit, drawing from sources as varied as Socrates and Snoopy, Bill Gates and Bill Bryson, quantum physics and playground fistfights. If you're looking for a dry leadership tome, keep looking. This is leadership with levity, candor, and conscience.

Whether you're navigating a crisis, building a converged risk function, mentoring the next generation, or just trying to get your team to stop using “password123,” the lessons here are real-world, actionable, and often unexpected.

Drawing on hundreds of conversations with practitioners, thought leaders, and executive coaches—from museum security directors to startup founders to crisis-tested veterans—the book moves fluently between the tactical and the philosophical. You’ll find leadership lessons in Texas Hold ‘Em and trauma, case law and commercials, streaming series and streaming data.

From managing complexity and polycrisis to fostering wellness and adaptive thinking, It’s Not In the Manual goes where conventional guides don’t. It doesn’t just teach you how to lead. It shows you why it matters, when it falters, and what it takes to lead through uncertainty with integrity.

If you’ve ever felt unprepared to lead in the face of chaos, contradiction, or moral ambiguity, this book is for you.

Witty yet grounded, insightful yet practical, It’s Not In the Manual is the leadership companion every security and risk professional didn’t know they needed—until now.