Across sectors and industries — from healthcare and finance to global tech and government — I’ve seen a destructive dynamic play out: A team brings forward a new product, a modernization effort or an AI initiative with massive potential. The room buzzes with urgency and ambition. The product team is pitching a new capability that could expand market share by 14% in less than two quarters. Partnerships are teed up, the technical model is sound, and early adoption signals are strong.
But then someone asks, “Has security signed off?” Suddenly the momentum shifts. Groans. Delays. A follow-up meeting. And eventually, everything slows or stalls. That moment of slowdown is often the first visible sign that cybersecurity was left out too long or brought in too late to shape the path forward.
In these moments, cybersecurity looks like a blocker. And to the business, that looks like the “Department of No.” But here’s the truth most organizations miss: a “no” from cybersecurity isn’t always about security. It’s often about posture, trust and survival instinct. And while it might feel like a leadership problem inside the cyber function, it’s usually a system-level signal — one that every CEO, COO and CFO has the power to influence.
The ability to protect data and intellectual property is now a competitive edge. The digitization of nearly every function, service and revenue stream means that data is the most valuable asset. And protecting it is directly connected to brand trust, customer retention and market access.
Smart executives leverage cybersecurity to protect the value they’re building so they can scale.
The Hidden Forces Driving Security Pushback
Cybersecurity leaders don’t wake up hoping to block business progress. But many are conditioned to do that. Why?
If you're not embedded in cyber culture, the “why” might not be obvious, but it matters. Until you understand what’s driving the resistance, you’ll keep misreading it, and reacting to it in ways that reinforce the very friction that’s getting in the way of innovation.
Let’s start with the pipeline — where today’s CISOs and other cybersecurity leaders are coming from. According to a global survey by Heidrick & Struggles, only 14% have product, engineering, or design backgrounds. The majority rise through governance, compliance or IT infrastructure. These are domains where rigor and control are paramount, and where mistakes can be career-ending. These leaders are trained to prevent loss, not enable innovation.
Then there’s the emotional weight many carry. I’ve worked with CISOs who’ve been:
- Pressured to greenlight rushed deployments without full context
- Left out of critical decisions, then blamed after an incident
- Treated as insurance policies rather than strategic partners
Over time, these experiences build into a reflex where defaulting to “no” is seen as the safest option. And when the only reward for taking a risk is increased exposure to blame, even the best-intentioned leader will find it tough to shake that urge.
How Security Pushback Hurts the Business
If you’re trying to scale, modernize, or deliver value faster, friction with security slows everything down. Innovation teams feel demoralized and act accordingly. But there’s a deeper problem. When security becomes a bottleneck, the rest of the organization adapts around it — often in ways that introduce more risk. Leaders delay engaging with the CISO because they expect friction. By the time the CISO is looped in, their only viable move is to say no.
The cycle reinforces itself, and this makes the enterprise more fragile (not more agile). When security becomes a bottleneck, the business fragments. Workarounds emerge, accountability gets blurred and the very resilience you need to scale begins to erode.
You don't have to remain stuck in this pattern; however, changing it requires intentional leadership from outside of the cybersecurity function.
What Smart Executives Do Differently
You don’t need your CISO to say “yes” to everything. You need them to say, “Here’s how we do this safely, quickly and in alignment with our goals.” That’s a cultural shift. And every member of the C-suite plays a role in it.
CEO: Set the Tone Early
If the only time you engage with security is when something goes wrong, your CISO will lead from fear. Show up before the breach and signal that cybersecurity is a strategic lever. When CISOs feel supported, they become partners instead of gatekeepers.
COO: Demand Security That Enables Execution
You can’t afford unclear controls or inconsistent requirements. These lead to bottlenecks, delayed launches and workarounds. Expect your CISO to stabilize operations and ensure they’re brought in early enough to do so constructively.
CFO: Tie Cyber Spend to Business Value
If security is framed purely as “protection,” it looks like a sunk cost. But when it’s tied to business continuity, avoided downtime or fraud avoidance, it becomes a strategic investment. Ask your CISO to quantify risk and to connect their metrics to enterprise priorities.
CIO: Share Accountability
CIOs often feel squeezed between uptime demands and security requirements. But throwing a CISO into the mix late in the game is a recipe for conflict. Co-own outcomes. Design roadmaps with cybersecurity in the room from day one.
CLO: Align Early on Legal Exposure
Contract breaches. Regulatory fines. Post-incident litigation. Cyber missteps create massive legal fallout. But when Legal and Security work together proactively, risk is better understood, documented and shared.
The Department of No Doesn’t Scale
The truth is, the Department of No can’t keep up with the pace of modern business. But battling or bypassing cybersecurity isn’t the answer. The opportunity and the executive responsibility are to reposition cybersecurity as a partner in innovation and velocity. And that starts in the C-Suite.
You don’t need to understand every technical detail. But you do need to model trust, demand clarity and reinforce shared outcomes.
