Mental Health in Cybersecurity: What you can do as a Leader

Working in cyber’s a strange one. It’s fast-paced, always shifting, and you’re constantly balancing the pressure to deliver with the fear something might break. The work attracts a certain kind of brain, people who can think fast, deep dive and push themselves to the limit.

But here’s the problem: in all the noise, we forget we’re not machines.

And if you’re leading a team in this space, it’s on you to remember. I’ve been in cyber for a while now, managing small teams, big teams, and everything in between. One thing I’ve learned is that if you’re just managing the output, such as tickets closed and incidents resolved, you’re only doing half the job. The other half is supporting the people behind the keyboards. This doesn't come naturally since the leaders in cyber themselves have their own demons to battle with.

We’re not all wired the same. And that’s a good thing

Loads of people in this field are neurodivergent in one way or another. ADHD, autism, obsessive traits, high anxiety you name it (and I am no exception). And in many ways, that’s our superpower. We love solving complex problems, we chase perfection, we hyperfocus, and we stay up late trying to get it just right.

On the other hand, we can experience burnout, overanalyze situations, and occasionally initiate ten tasks but complete only two, getting caught up in solving problems that weren't requested. Additionally, we may overlook our role within a team until we notice that no one has reached out for weeks, leaving us feeling entirely isolated.

That’s when the cracks start to show and honestly, it’s not the workload that does people in It’s the loneliness. The lack of belonging, the feeling that no one sees what you’re going through, let alone cares.

What good leaders pick up on

If you’re managing people in this space, you’ve got to pay attention to what’s going on under the surface. The rabbit hole is real. People will bury themselves in a task that’s gone way past productive, just because no one stepped in to say, “Mate, it’s not worth it.”

Worse is when you send them down that rabbit hole yourself. You hand them a vague problem with no real direction, and by the time you check in, they’ve spent three days trying to perfect something that didn’t need to exist in the first place. That kind of ambiguity stresses people out, especially when they’re already under pressure.

And when someone has an outburst, or suddenly goes quiet it’s probably not attitude. It could be burnout, anxiety, or imposter syndrome kicking in hard. If someone’s usually loud in meetings and they stop speaking up, don’t ignore it. That silence might be them trying to hold it all together.

What good leaders actually do

Noticing is one thing. But what you do next really matters.

It's essential to create a safe environment for making mistakes, as this field thrives on trial and error. If your team is afraid of failure, they'll cease taking risks entirely, which is when everything truly starts to unravel.

You need to say thank you more often. I used to think praise was fluff (maybe because the person who was saying it wasn't genuine?), but it isn't; it's fuel. Even a quiet “good work on that incident” can turn someone’s week around. You never know what they’re carrying.

Don’t play favourites. Yeah, you’ll get on better with some than others, that’s human. But if the same people always get the cool projects or the benefit of the doubt, the rest of the team notices. Fast.

Don’t write off the ones who seem like they’ve checked out. Often, it’s not laziness; it’s that they’ve lost the spark, or they’re stuck and don’t know how to ask for help. Sit down with them and talk; you might find all they needed was a bit of direction or trust.

And let’s be honest, you go to war with the team you’ve got, not the team you wish you had. Leadership’s not about waiting for perfect hires. It’s about investing in the people right in front of you. Get to know them, understand what drives them, and build around that. That’s how proper teams are made.

Also, show up and get involved in what the team’s doing. You don’t need to be hands-on every day, but you should know what their day looks like.

Be visible. Be curious. You earn respect by walking the floor, not just sitting on calls.

Vary tasks whenever possible to present new challenges, even if it involves slight changes or introducing something new. If someone remains in the same role for too long, they may become disengaged. When people lose focus, they not only lose interest but also their confidence.

Take lunches together, have coffee catch-ups, even just a “How are you holding up?” in passing. Don’t underestimate how much that matters, especially in bigger organizations, where people can go a whole week without a real conversation.

Do things that feel(are) human.

The managers feel it too

Quick word to the team members reading this: your manager’s a human being too(crazy right!). They might act like they’ve got it together, but they’ve got their own stress, their own mental load, and probably not much support themselves.

If they get something wrong, tell them and give them a chance to fix it. And if you’ve got a manager who sticks up for you in meetings, backs you when things go sideways, and has your back in public even when you’ve messed up, respect that. That’s rare.

Mental health doesn’t always shout

Check in on people. Even the ones who look like they’re coping. Especially them, actually. A lot of us have gotten good at hiding how we’re feeling until it all gets too much and the result could be catastrophic.

When someone’s clearly having a rough day, just back off a bit. Don’t press. Let them breathe. They’ll bounce back better when they don’t feel like they’re being watched.

If someone needs time off, give it to them without making them feel like they have to justify it. Not everything needs a reason; just trust that they need the break. If you think they need time off, maybe recommend it, but be careful with your delivery of the message to ensure you send the right message.

Final thoughts

Cyber isn’t just firewalls, alerts, and dashboards. It’s people. People with unique brains and big hearts, who care more than they let on and try harder than they should. People who burn out because no one told them they were doing more than enough.

You don’t need to be a therapist or a psychologist to be a good leader. But you do need to care. You need to look up from the metrics and ask, “How’s the team actually doing?”

Because behind every patch, every incident, every 3am call there’s someone showing up and giving everything they’ve got.

Make sure they don’t fall apart doing it.