Beyond the Sales Book: The Emotional Secret to 10X Career Growth

Jan 7, 2026

Steve Rog, Chief Revenue Officer at Cyera, shares his remarkable journey from a technical background to a leading role in cybersecurity sales. He dives into the significance of humility and teamwork in building a successful culture at Cyera. Steve emphasizes the value of Emotional Intelligence in leadership—highlighting that effective delivery of messages is crucial. He also discusses the importance of mentorship, reflecting on key figures who shaped his career, and how authentic leadership involves empowering others to excel.

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INSIGHT

Culture Trumps Individual Notoriety

Cyera's culture prioritizes humility and teamwork over individual glory.
Steve Rog credits that ethos for rapid growth and strong internal alignment.

ADVICE

Proactively Seek Mentors

Seek mentors proactively instead of waiting for introductions.
Demonstrate knowledge about people and ask for help to accelerate your development.

ANECDOTE

Early Leaders Shaped His Playbook

Steve recounts early leaders at F5 and Forcepoint who shaped his approach.
Those mentors taught him playbook discipline and pushed him toward force management methods.

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In this episode, we welcome Steve Rog, CRO at Cyera, one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world.

Steve opens up about his journey from a technical networking background to becoming a high-impact leader in cybersecurity. We unpick how he landed one of the industry's most sought-after CRO roles and why Cyera’s culture of humility and teamwork keeps them winning.

Steve shares profound lessons on seeking out mentors, the critical importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in delivery, and why he views leadership as a responsibility to help others reach their "ceiling".

🙌 Thanks To Our Sponsor! Aurasell AI: https://www.aurasell.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 - In this episode

01:53 - Landing the Industry's Hottest Role

02:45 - Culture: No One is Bigger Than the Team

05:02 - The Science Behind the Playbook

06:45 - The Debt of Gratitude: Seek Mentors

13:05 - Overcoming Early Career Insecurity

35:57 - EQ: Why the Way You Deliver Matters

39:15 - A Turning Point: When My Boss Joined Me

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

EQ is About Delivery, Not Softness: Emotional Intelligence isn't just about being "likable"; it's about the strategic delivery of information. Steve emphasizes that the way a leader delivers good or bad news determines how it is received and acted upon, requiring the leader to put themselves in the other person's shoes.

Authentic Leadership is Altruistic: The most authentic form of leadership is surrounding yourself with people better than you and not being insecure about having "weapons" on your team. Steve attributes his success to Cyera's altruistic culture, where teams prioritize the customer first, the company second, and themselves last.

Active Mentorship Drives Careers: You cannot wait for an introduction; you must proactively seek out mentors and ask for help. Steve advocates for paying this forward by investing in everyone from BDRs upward, ensuring team members have the guidance they need to navigate "highs and lows" without entering a tailspin.

💬 Notable Quotes

"I love seeing the team win. I love seeing career progression and I love the thought that I'm helping people achieve their career goals".

"No one person is bigger than the team".

"Measure six times, cut once. It's the philosophy across the company".

"You almost have to have imposter syndrome to go figure it out". "You can't coach charisma, you can't coach likability... and you can't really coach desire".

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Oli Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro.

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SEO Tags: Steve Rog, Cyera, CRO, Sales Leadership, Cybersecurity, Servant Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Mentorship, GTM Strategy, Force Management, Career Progression, Software Sales, Hunters & Unicorns

Tags: #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse