Making Skills Visible in Cybersecurity — Part 3: Feedback, Critique & Growth

Growth Isn’t Just Technical

Everyone says they want to grow. But when feedback stings, conflict escalates, or someone misreads your tone in Slack—it’s harder than it sounds.

Cybersecurity isn’t just about detection and defense. It’s also about dialogue and disagreement.

That’s why this post focuses on three areas where invisible skills become visible in how we respond:

  • Taking feedback with curiosity, not ego
  • Navigating critique (especially from peers)
  • Growing from conflict and friction on a team

1. Feedback Isn’t an Attack

In tech, feedback is often seen as a red flag—“You did something wrong.” But in high-functioning teams, it’s a sign of trust and investment.

Example:

A colleague points out that your threat report was too jargon-heavy for the execs. You can:

  • Get defensive and justify your style
  • Or ask, “What part didn’t land well for them?”

One response walls you off. The other opens a conversation.

“Feedback is how we build better systems—people systems included.”

2. Critique ≠ Personal

Students and early-career pros often equate critique with failure. But in cybersecurity (especially red/blue team scenarios), debriefing what went wrong is the norm—not a punishment.

IRP Context:

During a tabletop exercise, a student in the “Incident Commander” role might be overwhelmed. If the debrief points out decision-making gaps, it’s not to embarrass—it’s to improve situational judgment for next time.

The goal: make the next response smarter, not perfect.

3. Conflict Can Be Constructive

Disagreements happen. Especially when:

  • A blue team wants to block everything
  • The red team says, “Let it run, we’re learning”
  • Compliance says, “We can’t.”

Security teams often bring different worldviews together—and it’s easy for tone, intent, and urgency to clash.

Guidance for Students & Entry-Level Professionals:

  • Stay in your role—but stay aware of others’ pressures
  • Use phrases like, “Let’s revisit the scope” or “Can we reset and clarify who leads this?”
  • Know when to step in as a conflict moderator, even informally

Quick Practice Scenarios

Scenario 1: Misread Intent

You write, “This doesn’t make sense” in a shared doc. Your teammate gets offended. Reflect: Can you reword as, “I’m having trouble following this part—can you walk me through it?”

Scenario 2: Escalation or Delay?

A system patch is delayed. You’re frustrated. Instead of venting, say: “Here’s my concern from a risk perspective—can we find a middle ground?”

Why It Matters

Teams that grow together stay together. And growth rarely happens in total agreement.

Cybersecurity isn’t an individual sport. The best teams know how to navigate the messy, human stuff while keeping the mission in view.

Coming Next: Part 4

In Part 4, we’ll explore how to build your own “walking deck”—a powerful, personal presentation that showcases how you work, not just what you know.

Stay open. Stay coachable. Stay growing.