Being an EF Hutton
Speaking less can make your words more impactful
EF Hutton was an American stock brokerage firm (that has now disappeared as a result of several mergers) that had an iconic advertising campaign in the 1970’s around the line, “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.”
One of their ads -
Over the course of my career, the role of cybersecurity leader has evolved from being buried in middle management in IT and fighting for attention, to now regularly being a center of focus with senior leadership and the board of directors. It is important that our communications evolve to maximize that evolving opportunity, and a successful strategy may actually be to speak less in some settings.
Cybersecurity threats change rapidly and there are a flurry of alerts and updates. We are accustomed to being evangelists who are ready to speak our case at every opportunity. The desire to advance our careers to senior leadership circles also creates pressure to be constantly present, offer opinions, fill gaps in the conversation with points. Counterbalancing those needs to speak, though, is the timeless lesson from EF Hutton: Make your words impactful, so people want to hear them.
Sometimes it is more impactful to hold your speaking for the most important topics, i.e., save your credits in your “speaking bank account” for when they count the most.
How can cybersecurity leaders embrace the "EF Hutton" approach?
Pick your spots: Obviously, some meetings and issues are more important for you than others. Put your chips on the most important moments.
Before choosing to speak, ask yourself: Are you adding something new and meaningful to the discussion? Is your voice needed or expected? If you don’t have at least one solid “yes” answer, it may help you in the long run to observe and listen instead of speaking.
Focus on quality over quantity: Being concise and weighing in when your voice is needed the most and you have impactful points to make will help your words carry greater impact.
As a cybersecurity leader, adopting an "EF Hutton" mindset is especially important in senior leadership and board meetings. Over-communicating to those groups can be detrimental for several reasons:
They tend to be unsure on the topic of cybersecurity, in general, and heavy doses of information can confuse and create information overload, causing them to tune out.
It takes up time. Meetings, emails, and updates consume valuable time. Brevity is king when working with senior leaders.
Too many words cause them to lose value, and your most important messages can get lost in the noise.
Cybersecurity stakes are high and part of savvy leadership is knowing when and how to speak. By embracing the "EF Hutton" mindset, a cybersecurity leader can cut down on noise and build a reputation that makes people listen when they speak.
Hold Fast and Stay True