Power Dynamics in Security Leadership: a legato leitmotif lullaby on leading lightly and luminously
Sarai Rosenberg
BSidesSF 2026 · Day 2 · AMC Theatre 12
In her BSides SF talk, "Power Dynamics in Security Leadership: a legato leitmotif lullaby on leading lightly and luminously," Sarai Rosenberg delves into the often-overlooked yet critical role of power dynamics in shaping effective security leadership. Moving beyond traditional technical discussions, Rosenberg challenges the audience to critically examine how power is wielded, perceived, and leveraged within security organizations and across inter-team collaborations. The talk emphasizes that true leadership in security is not merely about technical expertise or hierarchical authority, but about the nuanced ability to influence, build trust, and foster genuine collaboration.
AI review
Rosenberg is a credible speaker with real operational background, and the core framework — power-over vs. power-with, trust as a depleting resource, influence without authority — is genuinely useful for security leaders who've never been forced to think systematically about this. The customer-audit HTTP-referrer story is a clean, honest proof of concept. But the talk is fundamentally a well-curated lit review (Weber, Follett, Arendt, May) dressed in security clothing, and the academic scaffolding is heavier than the original contribution warrants.