The CISO On The Razor's Edge: Leading Cybersecurity When The System Is Designed To Break

by Steve Tout

Overview

The CISO On The Razor's Edge
Why the role is broken. How to lead anyway.

The modern CISO stands at a dangerous intersection-caught between relentless threats, unrealistic expectations, and a system designed to burn them out. The job was supposed to protect the business. But too often, it protects no one-least of all the person in the role.

In this sharp, no-fluff new book, veteran strategist and founder of Identient, Steve Tout, dismantles the myths of cybersecurity leadership and exposes the hidden design flaws poisoning the CISO role from within. Drawing on years of enterprise and consulting experience, real-world insights from Candid CISO conversations, and brutal truths from the frontlines, he delivers a bold new playbook for surviving-and leading-on the edge.

Inside, you'll discover:
In this book, you'll learn how to:

• Reframe your role through systems thinking and strategic alignment
• Apply real options theory to cybersecurity decision-making
• Build trust and influence across CIOs, CFOs, and the board
• Identify and repair structural dysfunctions that lead to burnout and failure
• Lead even when you don't have full control-through clarity, coalition, and courage

This isn't a book about certifications, checklists, or compliance. It's about power, purpose, and performance. It's about reclaiming the CISO role as a force for transformation-not burnout.

Whether you're a CISO on the brink, a cybersecurity leader aspiring to the top job, or an executive trying to understand why security leadership keeps breaking down-this book is your lens, your mirror, and your roadmap forward.

Because the edge isn't a place to fear.
It's where real leadership begins.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798218686963
Publisher:	Tout Media
Publication date:	06/01/2025
Pages:	146
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Steve Tout is a cybersecurity strategist, systems thinker, and the creator of Strategic Performance Intelligence (SPI). With over 20 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies, high-growth startups, and government agencies, he’s helped modernize identity, access, and governance programs across complex, high-pressure environments.

As the founder of Identient, Steve serves as a trusted advisor to CISOs and CIOs navigating leadership, alignment, and performance at scale. He is also the host of The Strategy Layer Live and co-host of the Candid CISO podcast, where leaders share real-world insights from the front lines of cybersecurity and business transformation.