“Success is not about status or wealth; instead, it is about being yourself, being honest, making good decisions, being compassionate, and staying humble. If you can master these qualities, all else will naturally fall into place. Nothing comes easy, you will make mistakes, but you must learn from them and continue to work hard, as the possibilities are endless.”
This advice was given to Patti Chanthaphone by her mother and has inspired her throughout her career. A profound and humble leader, Patti is the Co-founder and President of MindPoint Group, a cybersecurity firm dedicated to innovation and excellence.
Excellence in Leadership
Patti provides leadership over MindPoint Group’s operating divisions and manages various IS&P solutions support to commercial and federal government clients. She presides over all programs, plans, and strategies that ensure the company meets its operational goals, delivers leading-edge services, drives high client satisfaction, and maintains employee welfare.
Patti has been providing IT security program and project management, executive leadership, and business development since 1999. She has a successful track record in facilitating business growth and delivering quality information security services.
“Success is achieved by breaking barriers, embracing change, continuous learning, and staying true to your morals. Wonder Woman is REAL!”
Patti is a Certified Information Security System Professional (CISSP) with a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management (Information Security Management concentration) from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice with a Minor in Legal Studies from George Mason University.
Building a Company of Merit
Along with three other Co-founders and Partners, MindPoint Group was established in April 2009 with one main goal — to be the best cybersecurity service provider in the industry. With this goal in mind, Patti knew that to effectively lead the company to success, she needed to instill strong values in e very aspect of the business. These values enabled a company culture with strong integrity, where current and potential employees can feel like part of the MindPoint Group family.
The cybersecurity industry is a fast-paced environment with new and emerging threats that challenge existing security protocols each day. MindPoint Group’s core focus has always been in cybersecurity. In order to diversify its service offerings, the company stays agile and works as a unit to package its services to benefit the mission and business needs of its clients.
It’s all about Listening, Accepting & Entrusting
Patti mentions that the most important thing she has learned about leadership is being a good listener and accepting feedback. These skills have also helped her be a better decision-maker, especially knowing that every decision she makes impacts the company. Her mentoring style is less about “how to do a job” and more focused on helping others fine-tune their own leadership skills and knowledge to continue to grow in their careers. Making the time to talk one-on-one with MPG employees is an essential part of Patti’s leadership style because she believes it is the best way to get firsthand knowledge of what is working and what needs to change.
In the early years of starting MindPoint Group, work-life balance was incredibly challenging for Patti. While she has worked in executive leadership positions prior to MindPoint Group, it was nothing like being the partial owner of a company. She has achieved a better work-life balance by entrusting in her partners, directors, and managers to lead. As such, it has eliminated the need for her to be directly engaged with every project or risk. Patti asserts that she is grateful to have such a great support group at MPG and at home to help make this possible.
A Passion for Learning
Patti has a great passion for continuous learning and adapting to change. She has taken this passion and intertwined it with MindPoint Group’s company culture. As a result, employees are encouraged to take time for continued education, and she firmly believes it has contributed to MindPoint Group’s success. She also remains very connected with all the services, ensuring that clients recognize and benefit from the value MPG provides. Patti is motivated by knowing that MindPoint has contributed to its customers’ success and secure environments while remaining a trusted advisor.
Empowering Women Leaders
In Patti’s humble opinion, women are natural leaders in communication and building high-energy teams. From her experiences, she has seen women’s ability to foster a comfortable workplace where employees feel like their work is not just a job but rather a hobby that they enjoy doing.
According to Patti, women should work in an industry that they enjoy. If they find that niche, they will feel accomplished e very day and be able to provide a valuable impact on the industry. In her advice to emerging women leaders, she says, “It’s important to remember that sometimes you will feel beaten down, and you will inevitably make mistakes. However, if you can learn and grow from those mistakes, it will make you a much stronger person, and you can help pave the way for other women.”
Aspiring to Give Back to the Industry
Patti is proud of MPG’s successes so far, and she can’t wait to see what the future holds. One upcoming milestone that she is especially proud of is that MPG will soon be graduating from the SBA 8(a) Certified Small Business program.
She started MindPoint Group with her three partners when she was in her mid-thirties, and thus, believes that she has a lot more to give not only to MindPoint Group but also to the cybersecurity industry as a whole. With two young daughters, her ultimate goal is to be someone who they can look up to and strive to be like in the future.
