Our Best Advice Q&A series continues with Dan Rothrock, senior vice president of global business development for Zenitel Americas. He shares the best advice he’s ever gotten, what he does to help newcomers to the security industry and whose voice resonates most with him.
Security Sales & Integration: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Dan Rothrock: This is such an easy question to answer. The best advice that I have been given shaped the core of who I am. It goes all the way back to when I was either 8 or 9 years old and I was sitting in our kitchen, having a conversation with my mother while she was busy, probably prepping for dinner.
And she said, with love, empathy, and yet power: “Every person, every person that comes into your life has a story to tell that can impact you. And it’s your responsibility to draw that story out of that person and to listen to them.”
Why she told me, why at that moment, why it resonated with me, I don’t know. I probably will never know the answers to those questions. But what I do know is that it was the very best advice that I’ve ever been given. And to this day it marks the way that I function and lead my life.
It’s funny how, at age 8 or 9, somebody stresses the importance of communication and you carry it with you through your life. What we say and the words we use with people is so important. It goes along with the golden rule of treating people how you want to be treated. I’ve heard people say, “well, that person treated me this way, so they must have wanted to be treated that way back.” That’s immaterial. The personal obligation is on our side.
SSI: What advice would you give to those looking to achieve success in the security industry?
Rothrock: If you want to achieve success in the security industry, it’s the same as if you want to achieve success in any industry and in life. There are so many books and conversations about leadership and leadership styles. I believe that you should not label yourself with a particular leadership style.
If you have to tell people what your leadership style is, you might not be that type of leader. Let people know how you lead them by living it and by being consistent. Consistency is a huge part of what we should do. It’s important to maintain your standards day in and day out. That’s where the hard part comes in: to be consistent in your performance.
We need to acknowledge that we may be outstanding in certain areas but we’re not good at everything. We’re just not. When we accept that, only then can we be consistent and perform at a high level. The team that you build around you and the people that you bring into your circle are the ones who are critical to your success.
Build a team that supports your ideals, supports your goals. Find people who are strong in areas where you are not. And then strive to let those people that you’ve pulled around you soar in the areas where they’re really good. Help them to grow. And if you do that, then you’ll be successful.
SSI: If you could point to one person in the security industry and tell up and comers, make sure to listen to what they have to say. Who would you pick and why?
Rothrock: This is a really hard question. The best piece of advice that I was given was from my mother to listen to everyone. Don’t typecast. Listen to young people, listen to older people and listen to experienced people. Listen to the people in between. And through the years I have listened to a lot of people who have given me great advice, who have helped me and who have helped me to be successful in the security industry.
I have a Mount Rushmore group of people that should be listened to, which means I cannot pick one person. I have narrowed it to two people. The first person is Matt Barnette of PSA Security. Matt has a long history in the security industry. His background with Andover Controls, AMAG Technology and Mercury Controls would make you think he’s a great person to talk about access control, but it goes so far beyond that.
He understands the channel, market trends and the future of where the industry is going. He listens as hard as he talks and when he does talk, he’s not afraid to voice his opinion and that’s important when you’re looking for someone to listen to. Personally, I don’t need somebody just to say, “yes, you’re right, Dan,” or “that’s a great idea, Dan.” I need somebody who challenges and stretches you and Matt does that.
The second person is someone who I wish I could spend more time with and that’s Jeff Stanek of Honeywell. He’s an incredible person. He has a finance background and you see it because he’s numbers- and process-oriented. His thought process is so well-defined that you learn so much from him because of that background.
He takes a spreadsheet approach, and he humanizes it. He leads with compassion and understanding. He leads with strength. He’s had a number of different roles in his career, yet he’s consistent in who he is as a human being. And every time I talk to him, I walk away learning something and feeling encouraged and inspired.
Although Matt and Jeff have different personalities, they both possess a unique and great sense of humor, which makes them easy to listen to.
So I cannot get enough time with Matt or with Jeff. I have known them both for close to 20 years. After I finish a conversation with either of them, whether it’s business or personal, I always feel inspired, uplifted and ready to accomplish anything. It doesn’t get much better than that. That is an important part of life. It’s not the material things; it’s the people, the relationships and the experiences that we share.
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