Creating a Culture of Courage: Aaron J Schaub of Midwestern Bank On How Authenticity Benefits…

Creating a Culture of Courage: Aaron J Schaub of Midwestern Bank On How Authenticity Benefits People and Profits in the Workplace

An Interview With Vanessa Ogle

Take blame. If the idea doesn’t go as planned, own it, don’t’ dodge it. Take one for the team. This makes your team feel safe to share their ideas. Even the crazy ones. And, as I mentioned earlier, your street cred goes up along with your team’s trust and respect.

In today’s social media filled, fast-paced world, authenticity in the workplace and in our personal lives has become more difficult to come by. Business leaders must focus on the bottom line of profits and corporate success, but does that have to be at the expense of the authenticity of their employees? I believe it is quite the opposite. I know from my own experience that a culture of authenticity allows the hiring of a team that will bring their all to the workplace. That fosters innovation, creativity and a level of success that few companies dream of. Yet, fostering an environment where individuals feel secure enough to express their true selves remains a challenge. The importance of authenticity cannot be overstated — it is the foundation of trust, innovation, and strong relationships. However, creating such a culture requires intention, understanding, and actionable strategies. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Schaub.

Aaron began his Information Security career as a Signal Officer in the U.S. Army over 25 years ago. Since then, he has held roles ranging from Information Security Analyst to Senior Infosec Leader in the financial services, marketing, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, public utility, and threat intelligence industries. Aaron’s experience spans domestic and international organizations from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Aaron is passionate about leadership, risk management, and information security strategy.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

My entry into the information security profession was a happy accident. My career began in the late 90s when I graduated college and entered active duty with the U.S. Army as a Signal Corps officer. While in the Army I was responsible for a secure message center where information security was critical. On a whim, I took an introductory cybersecurity course and found it fascinating. I continued learning about cybersecurity on my own time until I got out of the Army.

Shortly after getting out of the Army, I attended a job fair where I found a startup specializing in information security threat intelligence. I submitted my resume and the rest is history. Since then, I’ve transitioned from one information security role to the next, growing alongside the profession. It has been an incredible journey!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

That is an interesting question.One of the most interesting experiences I’ve had was managing the security program for an electric and gas company during a large Scale outsourcing effort. There were constant security challenges and evaluating outsourcing partners was an intense process that involved international travel. Furthermore, I had to lead a team facing imminent layoffs within 18 months, while simultaneously responding to a mass worm infection and managing daily cybersecurity operations. This created an exceptionally demanding and “interesting” experience.

You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. Curiosity — When I started my information security career back in the Dark Ages of the late 90s, Movies like War Games, Sneakers, and Hackers landed information security into my realm of interests.While I was in the Army, I had the opportunity. to take an introductory course on information security and I was sold.
2. Initiative — This one is closely related to curiosity. Once I decided I wanted to learn more about information security I had to figure out where to get the information. Back in the late 90s there weren’t a ton of web sites dedicated to information security, so I had to dig around and figure things out on my own. Not only did I gain a wealth of technical knowledge by taking initiative to seek it out, but I developed strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills, ones I still use today.
3. Luck and Timing — While this isn’t really a character trait, it has played a big role in my career. When I was a Lieutenant, a Major took a couple of us aside for some professional development. He shared lots of good advice, but the one that has stuck with me is this: “You have to be good at your job to succeed, but an equal part of your success comes from luck and timing.” Sometimes, you just need to be in the right place at the right time. That’s essentially how I got into information security. I just happened to be interested in it as it evolved into a new profession.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a pivotal moment in your career or personal life when being authentic made a significant impact on your success or well-being?

Sure. This might not be the kind of story you’re looking for, but it ticks all the boxes. I was in charge of a cyber operations team and we were approaching our annual review period. It was a forced ranking system, which I hate, but that’s beside the point. All the security team leaders were in a room trying to determine the ranked order of our employees. Eventually, it came to an employee of mine (Bob for the sake of conversation) who was a rock star. You could give Bob vague guidance and he’d come back with exactly what you had in mind but couldn’t articulate. He was remarkable. Now, here’s the catch: Bob had a rocky relationship with my boss.

It came time to rank Bob, and my boss says Bob is clearly the worst employee on my team. It’s important to note here that my boss did not like his staff to point out he was wrong, especially in front of all his direct reports. I knew this, but my personal integrity, my authentic self, could not throw Bob under the bus. So, I professionally disagreed with my boss in front of that audience while presenting evidence to back my claim. Interestingly, my life got a lot more difficult after that interaction and my health suffered as a result. It suffered so much, in fact, that I had to find a new job to create space to recover.

All that said, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It was the right thing to do. My job as a leader is to ensure my team the resources they need for success and defend them when they aren’t there to defend themselves. If I hadn’t stood up for Bob, I wouldn’t have been leading.

How do you navigate the challenges that come with encouraging authenticity in a diverse workplace, where different backgrounds and perspectives may sometimes lead to conflict?

There’s no magic technique for managing conflict. Every situation is different, especially when you encourage your team to embrace authenticity. However, there are some rules of thumb I follow consistently:

1. Remain objective and emphasize the importance of facts.
2. Opinions and “I feel…” statements only open more doors full of conflict at this point.
3. Rule number one when you find yourself in a hole: Stop digging.
4. Dial down emotion as much as possible.
5. Conflict triggers emotions originating from the amygdala in the primal part of your brain that drive Fight or Flight.
6. Give folks a chance to think as clearly as possible.
7. Focus on issues and give people the space to share their perspectives without feeling attacked.
8. Personal attacks just fire up the amygdala. Defuse personal attacks as soon as you can.
9. Sometimes once everyone has calmed down, you can see more common ground than you expected.
10. Emphasize common ground, even if the only common ground is that we’re all on the same team.
11. Create an environment of “Us”, not “Us and Them”.
12. We’re more effective when we’re from the same tribe.
13. Avoid Either-Or situations. Look for And Opportunities.
14. Conflict usually comes from a false dichotomy.
15. Introduce a third option. If you’re really in a pinch, make it obviously worse than either of the two competing options. At the very least both parties can find common ground in saying your idea stinks.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways to Create a Culture Where People Feel Safe to be Authentic?” What strategies have you found most effective in fostering an environment where employees or team members feel safe to express their true selves, including their ideas, concerns, and aspirations? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

I don’t have a story for each one of these, but these are techniques I use almost daily.

1. Simply ask for honest opinions. I always look for the person in the meeting who isn’t saying anything and ask them directly for their thoughts on the matter. The quiet ones usually have some pretty good ideas. Don’t let them walk away without sharing.
2. Actively listen to honest opinions. Ask follow-up questions. Ask for examples. Restate what you heard. Extrapolate and build upon the ideas. That shows people that you care about what they have to say and find it valuable.
3. Set aside your ideas and use your team’s instead. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve said something to the effect of, “You know what? I like your idea better. Let’s do that.” Not only does it build your street cred with your team, you start earning their trust and respect. That’s the stuff you move mountains with.
4. Give credit. If your team’s idea works, make sure people know it was your team, not you, that came up with it. Name specific people who came up with the idea and helped make it happen. Again, your street cred goes up along with your team’s trust and respect.
5. Take blame. If the idea doesn’t go as planned, own it, don’t’ dodge it. Take one for the team. This makes your team feel safe to share their ideas. Even the crazy ones. And, as I mentioned earlier, your street cred goes up along with your team’s trust and respect.

In your opinion, how does authenticity within an organization influence its relationship with customers, clients, or the broader community?

Customers, clients, and the broader community all have fairly well-calibrated BS meters. If they sense a lack of authenticity, that severely weakens the level of trust they have. Opportunities for success will quickly approach zero if the organization has a general lack of authenticity both individually and organizationally. Authenticity just makes good business sense.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Always remember that we are more similar than we are different. When all is said and done, we all want a handful of things:

1. We want a safe space for ourselves and our families.
2. We’re proud of our kids and want them to have all the opportunities we never had.
3. We want to spend time eating and drinking with our friends and family.
4. We want our sports team of choice to win the next championship.

I grew up as a redneck kid in Small Town, Ohio. I’ve met Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen. I’ve spoken with Japanese businessmen, IT administrators in Jordan, tour guides in Paris, call center workers in India, cybersecurity pros in London, and a Masai Mara tribesman who left their tribes to become Safari guides. To a person, they’ve all wanted those 4 things. Keep that in mind next time you meet someone new. Start talking about those things and you’ll find more connection than separation.

How can our readers further follow you online?

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronjschaub/

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.

Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.

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Creating a Culture of Courage: Aaron J Schaub of Midwestern Bank On How Authenticity Benefits… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.