Travis Deatherage, Linx Multimedia and PSA Network Board: Best Advice

Our Best Advice Q&A series continues with Travis Deatherage, partner and president of Linx Multimedia and EDGE AV Group representative on the PSA board of directors. He reveals the best advice he’s ever gotten, gives tips to security industry pros on the raise and contemplates his ultimate business inspiration. Security Sales & Integration: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Travis Deatherage: Before my first job washing dishes at 15, my dad told me to always find something to do. Never be the person standing still waiting to be told what to do. There is always a floor to be swept, trash to be picked up or something I else I can do to help even as the new guy. I tried to follow this advice at all levels of my career. I didn’t focus on just doing what I was told to do or what my job was. I always got my job done first because that is the minimum expectation but I also was looking for what else can I help with. I took on extra projects, worked outside of normal hours and challenged myself with things I knew little about. This approach has opened numerous doors for me, from job opportunities to industry groups to building new relationships outside of my role. SSI: What advice would you give to those looking to achieve success in the security industry? Deatherage: One value that I’ve tried to hold true to myself and instill in my kids is that no one can ever take from you the experiences you have, the learning you absorb and the relationships that you forge. I have always tried to build relationships at each step of my career. You never know when you will cross paths again. I constantly strive to learn and grow. One of the exciting things about this industry is that the technology is constantly evolving and changing. You can never know it all. This gives you a built-in opportunity to always be learning. The experiences we have, good or bad, shape how we see the world. The more experiences you have yourself or by engaging with others to learn about their experiences, the broader perspective you will have. The broader perspective you have, the more solutions you can help create to the challenges we face every day. 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,” whom would you pick and why? Deatherage: Rather than name a single person, I would suggest looking around you. Who do you see that is doing it right? Sales, operations, engineering, customer service, administration, etc. For example, if you are a technician and you want to be a project manager some day, then seek out the veteran project manager that always seems to have projects under control, creates raving fans and the staff loves to work for.  Find out the approach this project manager takes and what works for them. Maybe you are great at sales, but are not very organized. You might find an administration professional that has a great system. Ask them to teach you how to manage tasks and organize a day. We can all learn from others, even outside of our roles or up/down/across an organization chart. Rather than spending all your time with the same people that you are comfortable with, seek out the folks that do something great that you do not know as well. You will be learning and building new relationships. Click here to check out all entries in SSI’s Best Advice series! The post Travis Deatherage, Linx Multimedia and PSA Network Board: Best Advice appeared first on Security Sales & Integration.