In an uncertain world, it can be difficult to see past the next 48 hours. But future-proofing exercises can help security and business leaders get more strategic about what they want to achieve in the next few years and how to get there, says futurist Heather Vescent. She helps outline how to step back and take a different worldview to uncover emerging risks and opportunities. Then, Scott Fitzsimmons talks about how to chart a path forward from individual contributor to manager to leader in security—for yourself or your employees—and how to instill a culture of reflection and professional growth in your organization.
Additional Resources
Get to know our colleague and friend, Mariah Bartz, in the ASIS Blog here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-news/blog/2025/in-loving-memory-mariah-bartz/
Read more about how to incorporate future-proofing into security tabletops and thought exercises in Heather Vescent’s article for Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/tabletop-exercises/future-proofing/
Want to test out Vescent’s future-proofing Mad Libs exercise? Use this video for a walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4Yt6HYOyk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asisonline.org%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
Worried about how artificial intelligence is changing the security industry? It’s worth thinking about with both discernment and an open mind, according to this Security Management article from August: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/guards-to-guardians/
In an AI age, human skills are increasingly valuable. Learn how to leverage core debate skills for critical thinking: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/debate-skills-for-ai/
Read more from Scott Fitzsimmons about security leadership and professional development here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/12/employee-retention/from_officer_to_leader_rethinking_leadership_development_in_security/
Interested in advancing your career in 2026? Don’t miss out on the ASIS International resources in our Career HQ: https://www.asisonline.org/professional-development/career-hq/
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In an uncertain world, it can be difficult to see past the next 48 hours. But future-proofing exercises can help security and business leaders get more strategic about what they want to achieve in the next few years and how to get there, says futurist Heather Vescent. She helps outline how to step back and take a different worldview to uncover emerging risks and opportunities. Then, Scott Fitzsimmons talks about how to chart a path forward from individual contributor to manager to leader in security—for yourself or your employees—and how to instill a culture of reflection and professional growth in your organization.
Additional Resources
Get to know our colleague and friend, Mariah Bartz, in the ASIS Blog here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-news/blog/2025/in-loving-memory-mariah-bartz/
Read more about how to incorporate future-proofing into security tabletops and thought exercises in Heather Vescent’s article for Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/tabletop-exercises/future-proofing/
Want to test out Vescent’s future-proofing Mad Libs exercise? Use this video for a walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4Yt6HYOyk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asisonline.org%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
Worried about how artificial intelligence is changing the security industry? It’s worth thinking about with both discernment and an open mind, according to this Security Management article from August: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/guards-to-guardians/
In an AI age, human skills are increasingly valuable. Learn how to leverage core debate skills for critical thinking: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/debate-skills-for-ai/
Read more from Scott Fitzsimmons about security leadership and professional development here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/12/employee-retention/from_officer_to_leader_rethinking_leadership_development_in_security/
Interested in advancing your career in 2026? Don’t miss out on the ASIS International resources in our Career HQ: https://www.asisonline.org/professional-development/career-hq/
Does your EP program account for cultural sensitivities, legal shortcomings, and evolving conditions? In this episode of the SM Highlights podcast, Jessica Ansley explains how cultural awareness can make all the difference in harmonious low-profile travel security and executive protection. Then, lawyer Timothy Sini outlines the limitations across U.S. states around protective orders and proactive legal action. But how can you cope with the unknown? Chuck Randolph debates priorities and requirements in EP and risk management.
Additional Resources
For more about executive protection for female VIPs, read the latest from Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/06/executive-protection/
Learn about cross-jurisdictional differences and limitations in orders of protection and how they affect executive protection here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/06/executive-protection/orders-of-protection/
Interested in travel security skills? Check out this issue on the topic: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2025/april/
Stalking can span across physical and digital realms, and it is increasingly converging: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/06/executive-protection/fast-facts/
Speaking of convergence, EP risks smash silos, too. https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/07/convergence/emerging-technology-asymmetric-threats/
Learn how to write better incident reports to document patterns of concerning behavior here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/01/incident-reports/
Narrative and reputational security has gotten more complicated with the advent of deepfakes and generative AI: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/06/deepfakes/
Security Management Highlights
In an uncertain world, it can be difficult to see past the next 48 hours. But future-proofing exercises can help security and business leaders get more strategic about what they want to achieve in the next few years and how to get there, says futurist Heather Vescent. She helps outline how to step back and take a different worldview to uncover emerging risks and opportunities. Then, Scott Fitzsimmons talks about how to chart a path forward from individual contributor to manager to leader in security—for yourself or your employees—and how to instill a culture of reflection and professional growth in your organization.
Additional Resources
Get to know our colleague and friend, Mariah Bartz, in the ASIS Blog here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-news/blog/2025/in-loving-memory-mariah-bartz/
Read more about how to incorporate future-proofing into security tabletops and thought exercises in Heather Vescent’s article for Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/tabletop-exercises/future-proofing/
Want to test out Vescent’s future-proofing Mad Libs exercise? Use this video for a walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4Yt6HYOyk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asisonline.org%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
Worried about how artificial intelligence is changing the security industry? It’s worth thinking about with both discernment and an open mind, according to this Security Management article from August: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/guards-to-guardians/
In an AI age, human skills are increasingly valuable. Learn how to leverage core debate skills for critical thinking: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/debate-skills-for-ai/
Read more from Scott Fitzsimmons about security leadership and professional development here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/12/employee-retention/from_officer_to_leader_rethinking_leadership_development_in_security/
Interested in advancing your career in 2026? Don’t miss out on the ASIS International resources in our Career HQ: https://www.asisonline.org/professional-development/career-hq/
