Security Expert Snow: ‘The Golden Rule is Really Important’ (Podcast)

Whether managing a hostage rescue team, building relationships in neighborhoods or coordinating security for a presidential debate, it’s essential for security leaders to understand risk and establish rapport.

In the podcast “Beyond Leadership: At the Intersection of Leadership and Everything Else,” Gordon M. Snow, Cleveland Clinic Chief of Security, describes the principles that have served him over his career in the Marine Corps, law enforcement and cyber security. During his 20 years in the FBI, his roles included Assistant Director of the Cyber Division, Director of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force, and on-scene commander in the Afghanistan theater of operations.

“The golden rule — treat everybody as you would want to be treated — is really, really important,” Snow says. “The most important asset to any organization is that human asset. That’s just so critical. I love the way that Cleveland Clinic treats our individuals. You look at the structured leadership training, the opportunities, even tuition reimbursement and the money that we pour into our people to allow them to be successful — I think is great. I know that all leaders here are out looking and spotting and assessing.”

Podcast excerpt

Gordon Snow: My father was a police officer, and when I left the Marine Corps and I went to the FBI, I sat down with him and I said, ‘Hey, what’s the most important thing I need to understand?’ And he said, ‘There’s going to be so many people out there — regardless of whether you’re the FBI and you’re in charge of the investigation, or you think you’re in charge of that investigation — there’s going to be so many people out there that have so much to teach you, and you have so much you can provide them if you really work those relationships and find out where it is you need to understand your skill.’

So he told me to find people that I thought I could learn from and watch everybody, because the loudest person isn’t always the one that has the most information.

For more information on Cleveland Clinic Global Executive Education, visit clevelandclinic.org/execed.