Due to the sophistication of cyber threats, organizations need to be defended on a strategic level, leading to the emergence of the cybersecurity leader role. However, the necessary competencies required for successful response are not fully understood due to the unique demands of the role. To bridge this gap, it is crucial to explore how these competencies manifest in practice. Data were collected through interviews and open ended surveys of cybersecurity leaders, which were analyzed using the method of thematic analysis. Four key themes related to necessary competencies were identified: one on knowledge, two on skills, and one on attitudes. The study found that cybersecurity leaders emphasize the importance of having knowledge about the organizational architecture, skills to simplify incident handling procedures, and the ability to convince management to invest in better incident preparedness. They also highlighted the need for a supportive and approachable environment to facilitate optimal cybersecurity incident handling.