Billy E. Martin, Jr.

solid and loyal

Look no further for that anchor, that professional that you can give basic direction to then walk away and know that it will get done to your high standards, that someone that can work independently with little oversight or direction.

protector

One of the key responsibilities of a good leader is to shield or limit their team’s exposure to unnecessary stress and taskings due to changing conditions and tempos. When things do have to change it’s my role to present that as positively and meaningfully as possible.

problem solver

I strive to have my teams make the difficult look easy. The impossible? Well, that just takes a little extra time. I solve problems, while finding ways to make things work. I won’t bring you a problem without a solution.

works & plays hard

2 am on a Sat morning with a critical IT or cyber event happening against our network? I’m standing shoulder-to-shoulder with my IT and Security teams working towards a solution alongside them. I lead from the front by example.

I’m also there with them when it’s time to let down our hair and relax. I create and foster loyal teams that enjoy spending time together as much as they enjoy their work. Often we’ll go golfing together or just something as simple as all sitting around the conference room table and sharing a pizza and talking about our families and life.

plugged in

Being a leader doesn’t mean sitting behind a desk and giving out directions all the time. It also means getting out and being connected to customers (Yes, IT and Security are service organizations with the other business units as customers), leadership, the team, and stakeholders. It’s about knowing how IT and Information Security affects all of these participants and ensuring that me and my team are making a positive difference, not being an impediment to progress.

high speed

Barely a day goes by in this field where we don’t get a half dozen taskers and by the time we’re on number 3 the priority and goals have already changed and we have to adapt. IT and InfoSec are high tempo environments where a large degree of flexibility is necessary. More importantly, as a leader I have to inject calm into the process and lead by positive example in thought and actions.

business minded

I always say, “Don’t spend $5 to protect $1 worth of data”. IT and InfoSec are business enablers, but too often that focus is lost. We’re here to help the business grow, not to say “No”. I strive to foster a culture of “Yes”.

There is no such thing as perfect IT or security, so our focus needs to be on enabling business to succeed while keeping it as efficient and secure as economically feasible.

team player

It’s one thing to be an independent leader who is out in front of the pack delivering capabilities while taking down the threats, and an entirely different thing to be an equally contributing member of a larger team. However, they aren’t mutually exclusive characteristics.

I’ve done both and constantly continue to strive to be a proactive and transparent collaborative thought leader who is self-aware and operates with very minimal personal ego or agenda and considers the greater good of the company, the customer, and the team.