In this episode of The Human Side of Cybersecurity, Dan Desko, Founder & CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber, speaks with Dom Glavach of CyberSN about what security leadership looks like once the responsibility extends beyond systems and into people. Dom reflects on a career that began deep in the technical work, long before many modern security roles were formalized, and how that foundation continues to shape how he views risk, leadership, and accountability. The discussion centers on Dom’s belief that cybersecurity is ultimately a human problem, not a technical one. He shares a defining incident where unclear communication during a response led to unintended escalation, reinforcing how fatigue and pressure expose leadership gaps faster than tooling ever will. The conversation also challenges the industry’s tendency to chase headline threats without fully understanding the environment, including how organizations approach AI risk today. For current and aspiring leaders, Dom offers a grounded perspective: invest in people, treat communication as a core security skill, and recognize that leadership in security is a long game shaped by judgment under pressure.

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