CISO Series Podcast Imagine Scaling Mistakes 5x Faster. Thank You, Automation! (LIVE in NY)
Jan 6, 2026
Leslie Nielsen, CISO at Mimecast, shares his insights on managing the complexities of security leadership. He discusses how automating bad processes can amplify dysfunction and stresses the importance of understanding AI risks. The conversation touches on improving team dynamics, managing high-performers, and using targeted awareness programs to combat deepfakes. Additionally, Leslie explores effective ways to handle persistent phishing challenges and identifies which tasks are ideal for AI automation, all while maintaining necessary safeguards.
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Toxic Talent Became Someone Else's Problem
- Leslie Nielsen kept a "brilliant jerk" on her team and later regretted it when the toxicity became someone else's problem.
- She admitted the biggest mistake was letting a toxic but talented person stay instead of addressing behavior early.
Automation Amplifies Broken Priorities
- Automating a broken process simply magnifies dysfunction at machine speed.
- Tools can't change organizational priorities that led to the broken process in the first place.
Document Processes Before Automating
- Step back and document your current processes and desired "to be" state before introducing tools.
- Use maturity models and capture hidden dependencies before trying to automate anything.