The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 17, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is Chief Security Officer finalist in the Public & Private Company category Sharon Claridge, CSO of Booz Allen Hamilton. Here, she talks about failing fast, shaping the next generation of leaders and establishing support that encourages people to be excited about the work.
What are your primary focus areas moving forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
As Booz Allen’s chief security officer, my team and I focus on enabling the mission. One key area of that is maintaining Booz Allen’s industry-recognized Trusted Workforce program.
We continuously innovate, streamline and enhance our protective capabilities so that Booz Allen can bring top talent to our nation’s most critical defense, intelligence and civil missions.
In 2023, that means working with the government to operationalize new technologies and capabilities. This ensures that both our defense and our economy stay ahead in today’s great global competition for power.
Which rules do you think you should break more as an industry leader?
Security professionals are generally staunch rule followers. That’s only proper when it comes to national security. At the same time, achieving transformations that make a difference requires that we try new things — especially in areas that don’t yet have clear rules — and give ourselves permission to fail, learn and correct.
We recently saw this in action when we transformed our personnel vetting activities. Over the past year, the firm doubled our hiring and accelerated onboarding to support critical programs. Our pre-hire screening team redesigned, streamlined and integrated technology that reduced background check time significantly to manage the increased volume at speed — without increasing staff.
That success inspired the team to try another tweak that didn’t bring the expected efficiency. With real-time metrics, a “fail fast” attitude — and leadership’s acceptance of this approach — we were able to quickly adjust and move on.
How do you help shape the next generation of government/industry leaders?
Shaping our future leaders requires a multifaceted approach to include investing in education and training opportunities, creating a culture of innovation, and a continued focus on diversity and inclusion. The demand for security talent is so high right now that it’s also imperative for leaders to find opportunities to directly engage the next generation in a meaningful way.
I think storytelling is critical to attracting and developing talent. Booz Allen is a unique firm because of how we’re in the heart of government intelligence and defense. Against that backdrop, sharing pivotal moments in our careers of what worked, and more importantly, how we failed, really sticks with people.
Being generous with our own lessons-learned is an effective way of transferring knowledge, building bonds — and fostering a culture of innovators.
I want people to be excited about being in the security business. It’s about the mission. It’s about protecting the United States.
What has made you successful in your current role?
Building trusted partnerships and collaboration. It is often said that “security is a team sport.”
Concentrating on helping others achieve their success helps build trust and teamwork.
This is especially important for Booz Allen as we evolve from our traditional consulting roots into rapid prototyping and technology solutions in AI, integrated data fabric and 5G. As new capabilities emerge, how do we protect them from idea to implementation?
It’s new ground, and figuring it out for the firm and our clients takes collective ingenuity. Continuing to find new ways to bring together diverse talents and perspectives in an environment that sparks curiosity and problem-solving will be key to our future success.