How to Succeed in a Role that Didn’t Exist

Munish Walther-Puri talks about what it takes to succeed when hired into a security role that did not exist before. He describes these positions as "pirate unicorns": exciting and unconstrained, but often viewed by the existing organization as either a threat or an invasive species. The opening explains how to recognize a genuinely new role by asking what prompted its creation, why now, who sponsored it, and whether the organization has created such roles before.

The middle of the talk covers common pitfalls. He recommends identifying internal customers in the first 90 days, testing hypotheses about who needs the role, and asking people who say an approach will not work what they tried and what they learned. He suggests mapping stakeholders as allies, adversaries and potential recruits, and explaining the role's value in terms other teams already care about. He stresses humility and humor as ways to ease an outsider's entry. Examples come from city government, critical infrastructure, fraud and threat intelligence work.

He closes by urging newcomers to define success early, rely on a sponsor and a group of advocates, and build on earlier efforts rather than starting from scratch. He points to a book on first-90-day transitions as a practical reference. The talk is aimed at people who are in, or are considering, a newly created role.