Back to Basics – Looking Back to Leap Forward

Before I get to my point about looking back to leap forward, I’ll start with a referring to a recent press release that went out about a major personal career announcement for me, I have taken an awesome position with Middle Atlantic Products, Inc. as their Director of Training. This will allow me to focus solely on training and education and doing what is most important to me - serving others in their professional development path through training and education. This also allows me to fulfill the passion and purpose goals in my career path, where my position has true meaning and a high level of contribution to the organization I am a part of. Along with working for a company with the scope size that enables me to make considerable contributions in our industry through a much larger large group of people and diverse channel, this initiative also has visibility at the highest levels at Middle Atlantic and Legrand and therefore leave me feeling empowered and knowing that the impact I can make will drive me to thrive there. With this new opportunity and highly supportive team, I look forward to some great things for many years to come.

In the spirit of bringing in the New Year, this year I have decided that the best way to move forward is going to include taking a look back, way back. About 19 years ago I started training for AVIXA (what was then ICIA and then after that InfoComm). Long before that, I was a Training NCO in the Army. I tell you this to let you know that I have focused much of my professional career in training and have dedicated many years to the development of others. For 2018 and in the spirit of the relaunch of my career and going forward, I have decided to reignite that passion and to work toward that purpose. After all, what are we doing this for if we can’t be passionate about what we are doing and fully commit to the purpose of it all? I was recently reminded in a class in New York that training is where my true passion is and where I truly belong.

Looking back also means “Back to Basics” - I am thinking my approach (the looking back part) can be as basic as three key points: Education, Development and Improvement.

Education – The programs that I intend on developing will focus on the core knowledge needed to grow others in our industry. This will mean growing our internal team and our channel partners. I also will have an opportunity to get back into contributing to the industry as a whole through training for AVIXA. Whether it is product related, solution oriented or general technology understanding directed, the knowledge needed to grow will be key, and I am happy I get to play my role.

Development - Along with knowledge, the development of skill is equally as important. The ability to apply the knowledge or to synthesize the content is key, as well. These first two key points are simply knowing what to do and how to do it. This is where I will focus adding a lot of hands-on and working groups to the programs we develop.

Improvement – this part of the program requires the use of mentors and veteran industry experts to leverage experience. The statement “some things can’t be trained” is partially true. I intend on leveraging field experience. This experience is key, but the good news is that this experience can be shared and simulated through well designed and delivered training and education programs. This is the area I am most excited about. Our industry needs a formal mentoring program and the only way this can happen is as a grass roots effort. Middle Atlantic Products’ sales and business development team has a great mantra “Experts in Creating Experts”. What better place could I be, when the industry needs a mentoring program? So let’s get one going and engage AVIXA to grow this like wildfire.

Keep an eye on Middle Atlantic Products as we hit the industry with a focused and deliberate effort to grow our industry through training and development. As does whenever we look into the future, for me, this year and beyond holds great promise. I hope that all my friends, family and everyone in my professional network sees the promise the future holds that I see ahead of me and that they can join me in a big step forward (with a quick look back) with the Passion and Purpose for what they get to do and who they get to do it for!!!