You'd think that after nearly twenty years in cybersecurity I'd have my nerves — and impostor syndrome — sorted. But I can tell you now: despite two decades of experience and having seen some truly bizarre security incidents, I still panic for the first two minutes of every serious incident.
You probably know the feeling. There's been some chatter your SOC's been working on throughout the day — maybe a few alerts — but nothing that escalated to your desk. Then, usually around 16:30, it lands in front of you.
You read the update. You realise: it's serious. The poor person who brought it over gives you a puzzled look, unaware of what you now see. Those last few moments of innocence on their part? That's when the raw terror grips you.
🧠 The Panic Ritual
Like clockwork, I excuse myself for two minutes.
I find a quiet room, sit down, put my head in my hands, and try not to hyperventilate. A surge of doubt floods in:
"You're never going to solve this." "This is going to get you sacked." "You should've been better prepared."
Those two minutes feel like twenty years. But then, like always, they pass.
I label the fear for what it is: just a feeling. I remind myself I've been here before. I've walked through worse. I shake it off — literally: hands, feet, shoulders. Then I walk back into the room.
No one's noticed a thing.
If that sounds familiar — or if you want to be a CISO one day — read on. I'll walk you through why this reaction is normal, how to prepare for it, and how to lead when your lizard brain is screaming at you.
⚔️ Panic, Fight or Flight… and Sabre-Tooth Tigers
Every human, when confronted, is wired to do one of two things: fight or flight. It's a survival reflex dating back to our hunter-gatherer days.
Imagine walking through the forest and bumping into a sabre-tooth tiger. Your brain doesn't think — it reacts:
- Pupils dilate
- Heart rate surges
- Adrenaline floods your system
Fast-forward 10,000 years. The tiger's gone, but your brain's wiring is the same.
A security incident today triggers that same response. But your brain can't reconcile the lack of options:
- You can't run out of the building (not without losing your job)
- You can't punch the attacker (they're probably in a different hemisphere)
So what's left? Panic. Your primal brain runs out of road.
➕ SIDENOTE: Why That Surge Sharpens Focus
When the adrenaline hits:
- 💪 Adrenaline & cortisol boost alertness
- 👁️ Pupils dilate for better focus
- 🧠 Blood rushes to the brain and muscles
- 🕒 Time perception slows for faster decision-making
It's a temporary superpower — but only if you've trained for it. Without prep, that same surge leads to tunnel vision, bad calls, and chaos.
🧾 The Seven Ps: Planning Beats Panic
One of the best lessons from my Army days:
"Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance."
When emotions run high, planning is your shield. Your SOC has playbooks. You need one too.
✍️ What most CISOs do in the first hour of a serious incident:
- Gather facts — accept that you won't have everything
- Ask for more data — challenge what you're told
- Set cadence — define when the next update is due
- Brief key execs — calmly and clearly
- Call the Emergency Management Team
- Track decisions & actions from minute one
- Don't speculate — stick to knowns
Write this down. Keep it where you'll see it. When the panic hits, this is your compass.
🔁 Practise Until It's Boring
The highest-performing environments I've worked in practised major incident response every week. And yes — eventually, it got boring.
That's the goal.
When people know the playbook so well they're bored by the simulation, that's when you know they're ready. Repetition builds calm. Calm builds clarity. Clarity creates leadership.
Stress inoculation is real. It's not posturing — it's preparation.
🛠️ Your CISO Panic Toolkit
Even with all the prep in the world, panic might still hit. That's ok, that's human. Here's what to do when it does:
✅ CISO Panic Protocol
- Acknowledge it "I'm panicking. That's just a feeling — not a fact."
- Use box breathing Inhale for 4 → Hold for 4 → Exhale for 4 → Hold for 4 Repeat for 2 minutes
- Move your body Roll your neck, shake your arms, stand up, walk
- Focus your mind Ask: → "What do I know for sure right now?" → "What's the next smallest useful step?"
These aren't just soft skills. These are tactical resets used by special forces units globally, including the SAS, and Navy SEALs.
They work. Use them.
📣 Final Thought
You can be the calmest person in the room and still panic privately. That doesn't make you unfit for the job — it makes you human.
The difference is whether you let the panic control you… or learn to use it.