Today, our ongoing Best Advice Q&A series shines the light on Tim Palmquist, vice president at Milestone Systems. He shares the best advice he’s ever been gotten, what he tells aspiring security industry professionals and who has helped to guide him in his career and life.
Security Sales & Integration: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Tim Palmquist: “It’s time to stop making spreadsheets and start reading them.” For most of my early career years, Microsoft Excel was my professional love language. I put every idea, proposal, opportunity and plan through a thorough analysis in Excel. Data was the driver, and this tool empowered me to analyze and communicate almost daily.
Looking back these were my “integrator” years–the years being deep in the details, armed with the numbers, confident in analysis.
But there comes a time in your own professional development that you can add more value to the organization by letting others vet the data and build the models instead of yourself. One of the simplest but best pieces of advice I received from a friend was to stop making the spreadsheets – to get out of the details and trust others to do this work – and read them, to be the visionary leader, underpinned by the data-driven information provided by others.
If you have ever read the book “Rocket Fuel,” then what I have just described will make a lot of sense. If you haven’t read the book yet, read it. I highly recommend it.
SSI: What advice would you give to those looking to achieve success in the security industry?
Palmquist: “Be technology-led and people-driven.” Whether you are joining a company or starting one, insist that you and those around you lead with innovation while being grounded by a purpose-built culture that prioritizes the human capital element of your company.
These two elements should always exist. You cannot have one without the other in equal measure. Every company that you join or build that equally prioritizes innovation and human capital will very likely have a foundation where you can contribute, grow and achieve success in your professional journey.
Assuming you find or build a company that is technology-led and people-driven with a great culture, then commit yourself – all the way. Don’t “take a job,” but instead pursue your passion. Life is a contact sport, build great things, have fun, commit fully and you will eventually find whatever definition of success that you are striving for.
SSI: If you could point to one person in the security industry and tell up-and-comers, whom would you pick and why?
Palmquist: I have the privilege of having met and come to know many unique and even great leaders in the security industry, but I cannot simply put a single name to this question. Instead, I can give a profile of a person: the one who stretches us beyond our professional comfort zone.
Of course, you must use some personal wisdom in how you allow yourself to be stretched beyond the normal, but I can safely say that these are the moments in my own professional development where I have grown the most and, in some cases, the quickest growth steps. This can be a coach, a psychologist, a mentor, colleague or others.
Be curious, ask questions, be open, seek outside input and professional insights, take some risks and keep an eye out for people that can stretch you to think outside your normal day to day comfortable perspectives.
Click here to check out the entire Best Advice series!
