Tech Icon Spotlight: Manoj Srivastava

Chief Technology and Product Officer, Blackpoint Cyber

 

Manoj Srivastava believes in the power of big: “To build really disruptive stuff, you have to get people excited about the product vision. You have to keep pushing the envelope on what’s possible, if you want people to come along with you. When you set high goals and make people around you feel safe about failure; even if you fall short, you’ll do better than most people’s successes.”

With more than 20 years of experience leading cybersecurity engineering teams at Blackpoint Cyber, Tenable, and CA, Srivastava pushes both his technical and business partners to think beyond their immediate challenge and focus on long-term, transformative customer outcomes. Riviera spoke to Srivastava to hear his perspective on building a resilient career, the importance of communicating the business value of technology, why the user is central to cybersecurity, and the role technical leaders play in building company culture. 

01

Embrace challenges
as opportunities

02

Go helicopter
mode

03

Start with the vision,
not the technology

04

Culture is your
product foundation

01

Embrace challenges
as opportunities

When you look back over the long arc of a career, it’s easy to see the inflection points that led to a new opportunity, the next promotion, or down the path of specialization. However, it’s much more difficult to identify those inflection points at the moment. Rather than wait for a sign or try to force a specific career direction, sometimes you have to be open to the hidden opportunities that will only reveal their importance in the rear-view mirror. 

“One of the things I’ve always taken with me from my earliest years is to try to learn as much as possible,” Srivastava said. “I didn’t want to focus only on computer networking, even though that was my specialization. I said yes to opportunities that came my way, even if they were out of my comfort zone; if I didn’t have the skills, I could learn them, right? I looked at the last time I was in a similar situation and reflected on how I overcame that as inspiration.”

“I said yes to opportunities that came my way, even if they were out of my comfort zone; if I didn't have the skills, I could learn them, right?”

02

Go helicopter
mode

By saying yes to new opportunities especially early in their careers, technology leaders can often build the technical skills they need to get into the details of almost any problem. However, don’t neglect the business side of technology. By growing their strategic and communication skills, technology leaders can think beyond the engineering problem in front of them or the cool tech stack they’ve built to ensure their work drives business results. 

“You have to think about customer outcomes. It’s so tempting in engineering, especially with constantly emerging new technologies, to focus on building. But you have to be able to communicate the value prop to the rest of the business,” Srivastava said. 

Srivastava believes effective leaders need to think like a helicopter, moving closer and further away from an issue as needed. “Sometimes you need to come down to the ground and figure out what needs to be done at that level, but then instantly get back in the air to get the whole picture. Some leaders tend to be more like an airplane that can only get the high view, while others are stuck on the ground. Leadership is balancing the strategic with the tactical.”

“Leadership is balancing the strategic with the tactical.”

03

Start with the vision,
not the technology

Cybersecurity is one of the most critical technical challenges facing the world today. All it takes is the tiniest opening for cybercriminals to work their way into a network to steal trade secrets, conduct costly ransomware attacks, or simply cause chaos. But it’s not just all about locking digital doors. Cybersecurity leaders should always keep in mind the user behind the screen.

“Even in cybersecurity, the user experience is key. You have to be able to build a compelling solution that gets people excited to use it. The most effective cybersecurity solution is one that starts with a great product vision, that is only then executed to perfection,” Srivastava said.

Because nothing is built alone, technology leaders must be evangelists who can inspire both technical teams and business colleagues to bring the vision to life. 

“When I’m talking about a product that excites me, you can see the twinkle in my eye. You can’t stop me; I’m totally into it. That’s the passion you have to have about your vision, or there’s no way you can take other people along with you otherwise. It’s not just the technical team; you need marketing, sales, and everyone else to be as excited about your vision as you are.”

“The most effective cybersecurity solution is one that starts with a great product vision, that is only then executed to perfection.”

04

Culture is your
product foundation

Leading during wartime is a distinct experience from leading in peacetime, even in business. Neither is necessarily better, but each requires a different mindset and strategy. While a peacetime leader focuses on keeping everything running smoothly, there’s a risk that teams can lose the hunger that made the company great in the first place. Meanwhile, the wartime leader may face challenges on multiple fronts, but can often have more opportunities to spur action, take risks, and ignite change.

“You have to know if you are a peacetime or wartime leader, and if you have the right people with the right mindset for that environment,” Srivastava said. “You also have to have the right culture in place. A technical leader isn’t just responsible for engineering the product, but for helping with the cultural transformation.”

“You have to be a walking, talking example of the culture. I tell my team that culture is how you feel on Sunday evening before you go to work on Monday. It really makes a difference.”

“Culture is how you feel on Sunday evening before you go to work on Monday.”

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