It’s Not in the Manual

Michael Gips is a highly regarded executive and thought leader in security and risk management, as well as an attorney, writer, journalist, researcher, and business professional. He is Managing Director in the ESRM practice at Kroll, where he consults for clients including multinational corporations, the AmLaw 100, critical infrastructure, higher education, family offices, real estate companies, cultural institutions, and other organizations. For six years prior he served as principal of his own firm, Global Insights in Professional Security.Previously Mike served as the Chief Global Knowledge and Learning Officer for ASIS International, where he oversaw Learning, Content, Certification, Standards & Guidelines, Production, Enterprise Security Risk Management, and other departments. Mike was also responsible for ASIS’s corporate security function. In addition, he developed the CSO Roundtable (now the CSO Center for Leadership and Development), an organization that includes hundreds of the most senior security executives at the biggest corporations around the world. He also served as editor and publisher of Security Management, where he authored hundreds of articles. Mike also was a major contributor to ASIS’s standards and guidelines on ESRM and Senior Security Executive.Mike has received many commendations, including Top 40 Global Thought Leader (Life Safety Alliance, 2024, 2025), top 20 most influential security leaders in the Americas (Security Journal Americas, 2023, 2024), #1 most influential global security thought leader in security (IFSEC, 2022), top twenty most influential global security leaders (International Security Journal, 2022), Outstanding U.S. Security Consultant (OSPAs, 2021), #6 most influential global thought leader in security (IFSEC, 2021), and one of the most influential people in security (Security magazine, 2019). He has received almost 20 awards for his writing, including some of the writings that have been adapted for this book.On the volunteer side, Mike is president of the Life Safety Alliance, an officer for the Global Consortium of Law Enforcement Training Executives, and head of the security committee for a large house of worship near Washington, DC.Among his many research publications are papers, reports, and chapters on ESRM, the size and scope of the security sector, convergence, blockchain, business continuity and Covid, security professionalization, the use of drones by law enforcement, and security as a business enabler.Mike frequently presents on security, risk, leadership, and legal topics at conferences and webinars, on issues such as disinformation, insider risk, liability, trends in access control, and security skill sets.Mike’s security-related certifications included Certified Protection Professional, Chartered Security Professional, Certified in Security Risk Management Body of Knowledge, Certified Insider Risk Programme Manager, and Registered Presilience Professional.A graduate of Tufts University (Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude) and Harvard Law School, Mike also has obtained security certificates from R.L. Oatman & Associates (2006), the Wharton School (2015), Tel Aviv University International (2016), IE Business School Madrid (2017), Signpost Six (2021), and Risk 2 Resilience (2024).

• Introduction. Chapter 1: Understanding the Risk-Leadership Nexus. Chapter 2: A Deeper Dive into Risk and Leadership. Chapter 3: Leadership Styles in Action. Chapter 4: What Risk Great Leaders Are Made Of, Part I. Chapter 5: What Great Leaders Are Made Of, Part II. Chapter 6: What Great Leaders Are Made Of, Part III. Chapter 7: Becoming A Thought Leader. Chapter 8: Risk Leadership in Transition and Adversity. Chapter 9: Leadership Landmines. Chapter 10: Risk Leadership into the Future.

Leadership, especially in the Security industry, is often a lonely road. Many of us have walked it without a map, learning through trial, error, and the occasional hard fall. That’s why this book is such a gift. It doesn’t just illuminate the path—it walks it with you.Michael Gips has crafted more than a leadership manual; he’s created a companion for those navigating the complex, often isolating world of security and risk leadership. What makes this book stand out is its global reach. From the streets of Whitefish, Montana, to the corridors of power in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, it showcases some of the finest examples of security leadership from around the world. These stories aren’t just inspiring—they’re instructive.Every chapter is packed with golden nuggets: insights that are practical, profound, and often deeply personal. Whether it’s a lesson in humility from an executive protection course, a moment of moral clarity in a crisis, or a quiet act of servant leadership, each story reinforces the idea that leadership is less about titles and more about impact.This book is a must-read for anyone who leads—or aspires to lead—in the security profession. It’s not in the manual, but it should be.Kevin Palacios, Executive Protection Leader and Member, Global Advisory Board, International Foundation of Protection Officers, EcuadorThe esteemed and well-respected author of this book, Michael Gips, understands today’s backdrop of quickly evolving risk well. In this erudite but accessible book, he helps both experienced and novice leaders navigate this complex landscape with authority, humility, and grace. The useful lessons come a mile a minute, but the author tries to not take himself too seriously. He instead articulates the “bigger picture” with ample entertaining yet instructive vignettes and personal experiences. Wisdom is packed into every paragraph.Brian Harrell, Corporate CSO and 6th Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, USAWhat a fantastic read! The voice, tone, stories, it all reads so authentically. The content is substantive but also very conversational and approachable. I felt the book was speaking to me, not at me. The book avoids the dryness that has a tendency to creep into academic or theory based books. It really leans into the lessons of author Michael Gips’s career, and his earned wisdom all interwoven with the academic theory, which makes the book very easy to resonate with. Volunteer leadership is close to my heart, and I appreciated how intentionally and thoughtfully the author elevated it throughout the book with the prominence and nuance it deserves.Mike Brzozowski, MBA, CISSP, CPP, PSP, GermanyMichael Gips is one of the most respected voices in our industry, someone who I admire and trust deeply, and this book is a testament to why. It’s more than a guide on leadership for security and risk professionals; it’s a powerful reflection of Michael’s integrity, insight, and unwavering commitment to elevating the security profession. Every page resonates with real-world wisdom, hard earned experience, and a deep understanding of what it truly means to lead under pressure. He focuses on the reality, focusing on human behavior, stakeholder engagement, community spirit, and cultural understanding, which all speak to my love languages in my own chosen path. As you flick through every page you can feel and see his energy, and personality shine through. This isn’t just a book, it’s a legacy! I’m proud to know Michael, honored to call him a friend, and even prouder to learn from him through this incredible work.Lee Oughton, Security Author, Speaker, and Kindness Crusader, Mexico This book is a refreshing and vital contribution to the evolving landscape of security and risk leadership. Michael Gips masterfully weaves personal experience, practical insights, and stories from the front lines into a compelling guide that bridges the gap between theory and real-world application. His emphasis on whole-of-person leadership, emotional intelligence, and risk-informed decision-making aligns closely with the principles of Presilience and the dynamic demands of our time. It’s an essential read for any security professional looking to lead with authenticity, agility, and purpose.Dr. Gavriel Schneider, RPP, CPP, CCRO, Award winning Security and Risk Expert and Author of Presilience: How to Navigate Risk, Embrace Opportunity, and Build Resilience, AustraliaMichael Gips has crafted a thoughtful and engaging book that brings leadership to life through both timeless wisdom and practical insight. Drawing on his extensive experience and the perspectives of leading security and risk professionals worldwide, he offers guidance that is both grounded and inspiring. It challenges the reader to reflect on what kind of leader they aspire to be and the leadership styles that align with their values. One of the book's greatest strengths is that it offers real-world leadership examples, volunteer opportunities, and networking advice you can apply right away to enhance your career journey. Whether you're an experienced executive or just starting your career, you'll find valuable tools and fresh perspectives to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.Lisa Oliveri, CPP, PCI, Senior Security Executive, International NGO, USAIt’s Not in the Manual: Real-World Leadership for Security and Risk Professionals by Michael Gips is an insightful yet fun tour of leadership development. Based on Mike's decades of experience, he provides numerous examples of how readers can develop their own leadership skills. Full of wisdom and wit, the book is a great research-backed examination of leadership principles and frameworks. These are amplified with anecdotes from his own experiences and those of his vast network of friends and colleagues. Yet, Mike keeps it entertaining, sprinkled with humor and pop culture references such as movies, streaming series, advertising campaigns, and more. In sum, Mike provides a great mix of leadership theory, humor, and actionable insights that will help current and aspiring leaders grow their skills. It is a must-read for leaders of any level.Christopher Stitt, Supervisory Special Agent (ret.) EMBA, CPP, CEM, Crisis Management Expert, Adjunct Faculty Member, Author, and Speaker, USAThis is excellent read from an outstanding business mentor who has devoted years to developing the next generation of leaders. It’s Not in the Manual: Real-World Leadership for Security and Risk Professionals not only provides practical resources to help advance leadership skills, but it’s also entertaining, enriched by Michael Gips’s unique storytelling style and powerful insights gained from his decades of experience. His sensible guidance will challenge leaders to reflect on their style while giving them the tools they need to be successful -- in the security industry and beyond. Gips has given us an honest guide for real-world leaders with real-world problems. This must-read book accurately reflects the leadership style of its author, a seasoned mentor who's always looking for ways to help others grow and discover new opportunities.Solveiga Jaskunas, “The Immigrant Voice in HR,” Consultant, Mentor, Speaker, USA/LithuaniaMichael Gips is one of the few truly globally renowned experts in the field of holistic risk/security and leadership. He did not follow any of the traditional routes into the industry, which gave him a unique perspective. In his book It’s Not in the Manual: Real-World Leadership for Security and Risk Professionals, Mike shares his exceptionally broad knowledge in ten chapters to stimulate security risk leaders. Peppered with real life examples and humor, it is an informative and enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to everyone in the security and risk profession.Godfried Hendriks, Past President, ASIS International, NetherlandsJust finished reading It’s Not in the Manual: Real-World Leadership for Security and Risk Professionals by Michael Gips. This isn’t your typical leadership book. Gips blends decades of experience with practical insights, humor, and global perspectives to show what leadership in security and risk really looks like. From navigating polycrisis environments to mastering influence without authority, the book emphasizes adaptability, emotional intelligence, and whole-of-person leadership. What I loved most: ✅ Actionable strategies for leading through uncertainty ✅ Real-world stories and lessons from practitioners worldwide ✅ Fresh takes on thought leadership, ethics, and resilience If you’re in security, risk, or any role that demands leadership under pressure, this is not in the manual—but it should be. Highly recommended for current and aspiring leaders who want to lead with authenticity, agility, and impact. All the best in 2026. Gary Craven, P.Ag., FCMC, ITCP Partner Paradigm Consulting GroupGips is right, for security and risk professionals there has been no guide to leading this important niche, but there is now. Among the thousands of books on leadership development only a few dozen look at risk leadership. Gips leverages what they have to offer and then takes them into his world, creating a framework that he calls the risk-leadership nexus. His approach integrates these well-understood leadership lessons into his framework and aims them specifically at boosting the skills aspiring and practicing leaders must develop to operate, and lead others, through increasing high-risk and uncertain environments wherever they work or whatever they do.Gips's central message is clear and enduring: to lead others we must first master ourselves. Leaders that find themselves in this important role can learn on their own now and then use Gips’s book as a toolkit in the years ahead.The text is comprehensive, addressing the multiple dimensions of leadership and staying tightly focused on audience. It is well structured, easy to track, and clearly written looking through his deeply personal lens. His extensive use of examples drawn from his decades of experience illustrates each concept, and his judicious use of well-known non-traditional sources--cartoons, streaming services, humorists, and comic book heroes, for example, avoids being boring and helps hold his readers’ attention.In addition to his examples Gips starts each chapter with a list of objectives and ends with a summary, reinforcing key points. In addition, his repetition also leaves readers with a clear message; leadership is a learned skill—they can do this. So, step up and lead.• The table of contents, introduction and chapters 1 and 2 set out the path ahead. They explain the risk-leadership nexus, the importance of self-awareness, including understanding biases, and then several self-diagnostic tools.. • Chapters 4 through 6 are heart of Gips's message. These chapters focus most intently on important behavioral traits that make for good leaders and then concrete steps to demonstrate them in their work units. The importance of critical thinking and ethical grounding are especially well covered. • Chapters 7 through 10 look at risk leadership through a broader lens and wider set of challenges, including preparing to spread lessons learned to wider audience, leading under high stress conditions, avoiding landmines, embracing failure, and sharing his views about the importance of practicing “converged leadership” that places the perspective of other cultures within his risk-leadership framework.By way of suggestion, while Gips’s work clearly breaks important new ground added depth in key areas could have been addressed in either the text or added appendices that would have added emphasis and utility without breaking the flow of the text. In brief they include:Make creating trust more explicit. Gips’s approach implicitly builds the importance of trust at every step, but in making this message explicit, in my view, it would seem less as a byproduct than the fuel that drives everything else.Expand the “how to”—the mechanics— of developing Gips's essential traits. For example, For example, Gips only touches mentions self-diagnostic instruments and the utility of Situational Leadership in staff development, but exploring them in more depth would have added depth and utility to the manual.Broaden the bibliography and recommended reading lists. Exposing readers to time-tested in-depth leadership studies studies would have guided readers to different perspectives and additional paths for their development. Buckingham and Coffman on building high-functioning units and personnel development, Covey on trust, and all of John Kotter’s books on leadership and managing change come to mind.Add sources on the psychology of risk management. Identifying and mitigating risk, of course, is the heart of the nexus and I would point to, for example, the range of publicly available tools and processes that intelligence analysts have used for years to assess risk and estimate probabilities for senior US Government leaders.These suggestions do not diminish the lasting contribution Gips brings to boost a profession that in important regards often operates at the margins of many organizations but is now at center stage. And how well these units are led and managed will determine how effectively they add impact and value to their missions. Jay Grusin, PhDI have come across books on risk leadership built around frameworks and compliance checklists but that is where It’s Not in the Manual: A Guide to Risk Leadership takes a different approach, offering a rich, human look at what it truly means to lead in the profession. Gips makes this possible through carefully chosen war stories, personal failures, and lessons learned the hard way that you won’t find in a textbook or training program.While the book is not a technical deep dive, Gips makes the breadth of his expertise clear, as he connects insights from physical security, cybersecurity, business continuity, and enterprise risk management to provide his view of the modern risk landscape. As a security practitioner who has seen firsthand that threats rarely are confined to a single department, his take on overlapping security functions really resonated with me.Gips’ brand of leadership is rooted in thoughtful overcommunication, empathy, and a genuine commitment to developing others rather than seeking personal recognition. Whether you are a CISO dealing with board politics, a security manager building a team, or a GRC analyst aspiring to leadership, you will benefit from the authentic insights in this book. It reminds you that protecting assets is not the whole job and leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about showing up consistently, learning from mistakes, and creating environments where others can do their best work.In terms of takeaways, this book advocates practical frameworks like Cynefin, to help leaders make sense of complex situations and choose the right course of action even in uncertainty, and Presilience, to show how the right mindset and leadership approach can help organizations thrive not just day-to-day but also when unexpected challenges arise. By treating frameworks as living tools rather than rigid checklists, Gips highlights a constant theme in his book: effective leadership starts with understanding the context, not simply applying universal principles.Lastly, being in a profession that literally defines vulnerability as a weakness, it is especially refreshing to read a book that presents wellness and vulnerability as interconnected leadership competencies.Suraj Raghupathy IswaranOverall, this is a strong and mature book, but its strength lies clearly in practice rather than theory. It works best as a reflection of real-world leadership in security and risk contexts, not as an academic or research-driven publication. If I were to position it, I would treat it as a practical leadership guide built on experience, observation, and professional insight rather than a structured theoretical framework.What stands out the most is how accurately the author captures the reality of leadership in security. This is not a simplified or idealized version of leadership. The book touches on things that people in this field actually deal with: influence without formal authority, navigating complex organizations, working across silos, handling crises, dealing with burnout, and making decisions under uncertainty. From that perspective, it feels authentic and grounded.I also appreciate how the author connects leadership with risk. The parts discussing risk perception, cognitive biases, and decision-making are particularly relevant for security professionals. In many organizations, leaders are not just managing people but constantly operating in conditions of uncertainty, incomplete information, and pressure. This connection between leadership and risk thinking is one of the more valuable aspects of the book.Another strong element is the human side of leadership. The book does not present leadership as a purely professional skill set. It acknowledges personal context, resilience, ethics, and even failure as integral parts of being an effective leader. That makes it more realistic and, in many ways, more useful for someone who is either already in a leadership role or transitioning into one.At the same time, there are a few limitations worth mentioning. The book is not particularly strong from an academic standpoint. It does not rely heavily on established leadership models, empirical research, or structured frameworks. This is likely intentional, but it means that readers looking for a more rigorous or evidence-based approach may find it lacking.The structure also feels somewhat essay-like at times. It reads more like a collection of well-developed reflections than a tightly structured, linear argument. For some readers this will be a strength, because it keeps the content engaging and varied, but for others it may feel less cohesive.There is also a noticeable reliance on anecdotes and personal stories. While they make the book accessible and relatable, they do not always translate into generalizable conclusions. In a few places, the author introduces their own terminology to describe leadership concepts. These ideas are interesting, but they are not anchored in widely recognized frameworks, so I would treat them more as interpretative lenses than formal models.From a cybersecurity perspective, it is also worth noting that this is not a technical book. It does not go deep into security engineering, detection, or quantitative risk management. The focus is clearly on leadership within the security and risk domain rather than on technical implementation.In terms of audience, I see this book being most valuable for people who are already leading or preparing to lead in security, risk, or resilience functions. It should resonate well with managers, future leaders, and professionals moving from technical roles into leadership positions. It is less suited for readers who expect academic depth or highly technical content.To sum it up, this is a well-written and thoughtful book that reflects real experience in the field. It does not introduce groundbreaking theory, but it does a very good job of capturing what leadership in security actually looks like in practice. That alone makes it valuable, especially for practitioners who are navigating these challenges on a daily basis.Wojciech CiemskiI came away from It’s Not in the Manual with the same feeling I get after listening to seasoned leaders speak honestly about the realities of leadership. This book is not simply another technical guide. Instead, it captures real-world lessons from security professionals who have faced complex situations where judgment, character, and experience mattered more than any written procedure.Michael Gips has done something valuable in this work by highlighting the human side of leadership. The stories reveal that leadership rarely unfolds in neat, predictable ways. It often happens in moments of uncertainty, where leaders must rely on their values, preparation, and commitment to the people they serve.As someone who spent decades in policing and later teaching leadership to recruits and professionals, I strongly connected with the book’s central message. Many of the most powerful lessons in leadership are not found in manuals or policy documents. They are forged through experience. When the pressure rises and there is no perfect playbook, leaders fall back on character, integrity, and accountability.In my own leadership philosophy, I often emphasize the importance of core values such as honour, integrity, passion, and accountability. These principles act as a steady foundation when leaders must make difficult decisions. Reading the stories throughout this book, I saw those same values reflected again and again in the experiences shared by leaders across the security profession.Another strength of the book is the diversity of voices it includes. The global perspectives add depth to the lessons and reinforce the idea that while security challenges may differ across regions, the principles of strong leadership remain remarkably consistent.It’s Not in the Manual is a thoughtful and practical reminder that leadership is about people, responsibility, and continuous learning. Anyone responsible for leading teams, managing risk, or making difficult decisions will find meaningful insight in these pages.Douglas P. Pflug