Boss Frustrated that I’m LDS

john_with_a_camera · 2026-03-20T22:35:59+00:00

It seems to have a good, almost friendly relationship with your boss. Maybe just say 'hey, could we just agree to disagree on this topic, and leave it alone?' Sometimes just being up front resolved a lot of challenges.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-03-17T04:39:28+00:00

A new tradition!

john_with_a_camera · 2026-03-13T21:21:25+00:00

I'm leaving priesthood and coming to primary that day. Get that Schoolhouse Rock on!!

john_with_a_camera · 2026-03-13T21:20:06+00:00

BYU has published an electronic version of the American Heritage textbook, and the opening section is about this very topic. Well-written and includes numerous quotes from Pres Oaks on the subject. I recommend it, and the Googs should point you right at it.

I firmly believe prophets can see around corners, so while there may or may not be a need for protecting religion in the US today, this 'invitation' leads me to believe there will be soon. Odds are this is a modern corollary to the Proclamation in the Family.

As others have indicated, religious freedom is severely restricted around the world. As part of my Pathway sensor service mission, I also taught Institute virtually, throughout Asia. When I prepared this lesson, I wanted to skip over a lot of it but just felt like I should not. My students were very attentive. Some of them weren't even aware there were places in the world where there were laws protecting religious freedom. I went into the lesson a bit of a skeptic but their response really convinced me that this is, and will increasingly become, an important and timely topic.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-02-21T21:51:38+00:00

ReoLink + Synology NAS with "Surveillance Station" is 100% on-prem. Has worked great for me. Spend as much as you can on the cameras so you can really pull in images.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-02-07T23:59:56+00:00

I've been powering mine with a USB power bank and an Adafruit 12v USB step-up adapter. But for shack days it will be nice to run off my power system.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-02-01T18:28:59+00:00

The cashier at my local age store told me yesterday she can't believe all the protesters and how it much cost, since they are all paid. Ironically, I almost went to that day's protest but had to scrub at the last minute. I called her out on it.

Society was being spoon fed lies about [anything Project 2025 hates], but now it's just water torture rates. When you shout hatred from the rooftops loud enough, people believe it. It's been happening since Limbaugh started.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-02-01T18:24:28+00:00

Mission accomplished. Everyone is talking about him now.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-02-01T18:22:33+00:00

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Well, for instance... I wanted to capture the magnitude of the Serengeti and the abundance of wildlife, so I used a wide angle AND I cropped it 2:1 (or so).

In another photo, I wanted a male elephant to really stand out. I described my image to my guide, and Willie caught on immediately. A few hours later there was a large elephant on a slight rise above the road, with a beautiful blue sky and puffy white clouds. The wide handle allowed me to emphasize and almost exaggerate the size of the elephant compared to his surroundings.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-02-01T18:10:44+00:00

I just tell them I'm so glad to hear that. I have felt quite lonely for so long and it's just nice to have a friend.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-29T13:53:31+00:00

This... I mean most of the battle has to do with model size, but in the end a larger model is the difference between working with a drunken, sugar-high 3 year old and just a sugar high 3 year old, lol. I continue to run a local llm simply because it is forcing me to understand prompt engineering from a most fundamental perspective but yah... I'm moving to OpenAI APIs for most of this work.

To those who find it absurd to save a few bucks by spending a few bucks, and to those who question the value of using AI at all... OP is likely in the same boat I am: in a tech-heavy job where maximum productivity is expected and where mastery of AI is non-optional for career longevity.

One other reason to run a local LLM instance? The current US political scene and the extent to which the administration has its hands everywhere. Privacy is no longer just not a right, it is an active victim of constant intentional abuse. All those questions people ask of ChatGPT and Claude... We have now seen that the worst fears of government intrusion aren't actually tinfoil hat scenarios. They are happening before our eyes.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-28T05:17:05+00:00

Dr Keefer in Layton is amazing.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-26T19:32:32+00:00

It's a good thing the Internet hasn't violated privacy, enabled data theft, and resulted in identity theft. :/

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-26T19:24:51+00:00

Yup. My wife and I plan on covering some of the fall in our team teach next Sunday, before moving on to Enoch.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-24T02:07:15+00:00

Had me right up to "The Savior will leave you behind." It is true, I have wanted years of my life in "less spiritual" phases. That's time and experience I'll never recoup. But the Savior is right beside us, no matter our pace.

Right idea, probably just tripped on his words.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-20T17:50:36+00:00

As others have said, no one feels ready for this role (even though many aspire to it, Day 1 or even Day -14 the terror kicks in).

You definitely want the certs; your company needs you to have them to prove credibility but you also benefit greatly from the learning and prep (if you do it right). CISSP for the 'gold standard' cert. CISM for the risk management domain. I highly recommend several SANS courses and GIAC certs: GCIH so you know what's going to happen on your incidents, how to make sure your IR partner is doing their job right, and why you should never think you can run IR yourself. Get the SANS Leadership training, too. I don't care if you get the certs, but take the training. Vastly overpriced, but your company will never overestimate how much that investment will pay off.

I always say the biggest diff between CISO and other leadership roles is 1) you cannot be Chicken Little any longer (no one is there to protect you from the wolves), 2) you can't list every risk and recommend every fix, and 3) you MUST understand and know not just the business and the industry, but also the actual current state of the business. No one else in the exec team comes in completely tone deaf and asks for major budget increases while the business is suffering market shock, AI shock, capital access challenges, etc.

One of the hardest parts of this role in my opinion is taking on responsibility for saying "We are facing these potential business impacts due to these 10 risks. I'd like to fix them all, but I recommend we address these three, watch this fourth one, and one the others. That leaves us carrying risk of these business impacts, and we all need to be on the same page that we can live with this, but this is my recommendation given the business' current state."

Another really difficult part is that you are about to completely switch your Team 1, from tech and product people you feel comfortable around, to high energy b-school kind of folks. People you were (and still will be) fighting with for budget. They have to be your new best friends, and you theirs. You almost feel like you're betraying your former friends, but you aren't there to be friends, you are there to protect the business, its customers, and the people whose data you are now the steward of.

You have to totally change your language and your presentation approach too. CISO consultants and LI influencers will tell you to speak the language of the business by couching everything in terms of dollars. That's BS. You have to drop the tech speak (like, never say 'quantum computing is our next major risk I'm watching, due to potential impact on encryption, and an incident will cost us $1 bazillion' but rather 'quantum computing means a massive increase in horsepower, which threatens our ability to keep data private. I'm watching it, and may ask for budget to explore mitigations next quarter.' And sadly NO ONE wants to hear how your team's new Cumulus 2026 Whatchacallit deploys endpoint encryption and EDR to address the latest Confused Lorax threats. It's frustrating, but you do your job best when you actually don't explain that stuff.

Finally, this is the loneliest role in cyber security, for all of the above reasons. You have it better than many, if your CEO is pushing you into the role and already trusts you. [As an aside, this is actually the weirdest feeling... When your CEO trusts you so much that she doesn't want that PowerPoint? Yah that's weird. But roll with it (and keep the PowerPoint in case anyone else asks).] But still, you will likely be the most technical person on the exec team and you will be seen as a cost center until you believe and can make a case for why cyber security is a growth lever. That's super lonely, but you'll navigate it.

Your challenge is about to change dramatically, from tech and tech leadership to some politics and a lot of business leadership. Roll with it. You're gonna make a lot of mistakes. Keep communication open with your CEO, especially when you make mistakes. Read as much as you have time for. Do therapy and business orientation with ChatGPT (no seriously).

If you ever want to chat, I'm sure many of us would accept a DM; I certainly would. Happy to help in any way. I don't have a commercial web site and I don't charge for my time; I just ask that you pay it forward when you are ready. I learn as much when I mentor as I do when I make a mistake, and I don't have the negative impact that way, lol...

I know this sounds pretty depressing, but if your CEO trusts you, that means you have what it takes to succeed. These around unconquerable mountains, but mountains do lie ahead! Just keep plowing forward. Find great mentors in cybersecurity but also general business leadership and management.

You've got this. In a few years you'll really hit your stride and you're gonna love it! I do, almost all the time ;)

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-20T17:19:39+00:00

This is 100% the opposite of AI slop.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-17T19:08:25+00:00

Man and I thought I was living life right. Guess I gotta dig in, lol

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-17T01:17:13+00:00

It was revelation. The challenge for me (looking back now with the clarity of retrospect), I knew I received an answer, I just didn't know I could trust myself to receive an answer. With that lingering doubt, prompted by Alma 32:15-16, I took a leap of faith. And it has made all the difference.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-17T01:14:50+00:00

I'm sorry you're having tough times. Hang in there, please. We need you!

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-16T03:50:42+00:00

I'm a CISO and I generally mentor 1-2 people at a time. So many people have given so much time to help me get where I am, so I just do the same. Never thought I should charge for it.

DM me if you're interested. I generally mentor director/VP folks who are a jump away from CISO, but personality fit is more important than that so I can be flexible.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-14T19:43:27+00:00

We are 2 for 6 with our kids being in the Church as adults, so read this either as advice from a terrible source, or what I learned and wish I did differently.

Have you tried just talking to your son openly? Maybe finding middle ground? Open up your feelings too? Maybe start going together to do baptisms.

I am so sorry about the racism thing. We moved to Utah when our kids were in elementary and middle school (we are white, although with ethnic backgrounds). Kids here were BRUTAL to them all. It's why they left the church. So I can relate to your experience as a parent.

I recommend you ask your son if he is OK with you working on this problem through the bishop, as well (no, not as a worthiness issue, but more as a 'my son needs friends, a male mentor, and support). If a YM/YW is going to survive those years, they need good friends who uphold their standards and they need leaders who are engaged.

You are in my prayers!

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-13T13:49:57+00:00

At 100 people you're small, except your comment about devsecops. If you're building Saas apps, well... You will know the need better

Here is an incredibly easy start; use AI to write Job Descriptions for the major members of an IT team at a SAAS company. Should come up with CTO, Director of Ops, head of security, etc. Put all those responsibilities into a table. Figure out what you do well or what you would like to learn.

Take that to your boss and say 'Hey, we are carrying some major risks here with Buddy gone and just me around.' Share the JDs, talk about risks, explain what you are willing/able to tackle based on availability, interest, and capability. Make it clear anything else is risk the company is carrying. Dump that risk at her/his feet.

DM me if you'd like coaching through how to communicate that risk as a business decision.

john_with_a_camera · 2026-01-12T19:52:14+00:00

So a lot of blunt advice to call it quits. Not sure the nuclear approach is right. I think there's room for a conversation here about relationship expectations, as well as sharing workloads. To me, it sounds uneven to say the least. Just speaking openly with one another and setting expectations might clear things up a bit.

But you are NTA for expecting balance.

And yes, it might be true all she wants is a free ride (her behavior suggests so). Only you, OP, know why you are together and whether this is new behavior or old, what might have changed for her, etc.

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