2023-June-15
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Passion Can’t Be Taught
BY KERRY SINGLETON · GLOBAL SECURITY SALES DIRECTOR · UNITED STATES
WITH HELEN GALL
3 MINUTE READ · 5 MINUTE LISTEN
Editors note: As part of our commitment to an inclusive future for all, Chairman's Club has been renamed Club Cisco.
Often, we all look to the same places when hiring. So do our competitors, other internal architectures, portfolio sellers, and SEs looking to make the move over to Sales.
In 2018, I hired someone who had no experience in the role I was hiring for. It’s one of the best decisions as a manager I’ve made. This is what I learned.
There’s a large shortage of cybersecurity skills on the market. So we’re all fishing from the same pond and often don’t look in less obvious areas.
This can mean making compromises when hiring.
In April 2018, with a requisition to backfill, I began working with Ross Traynor from the Talent Acquisition team to find candidates to fill the position. I’d worked with him before, and we had formed a successful partnership.
Ross was organized, had excellent stakeholder management skills, and had a hunting mindset. Just what I needed to find the right candidate with the right skill set.
A few days later, Ross asked to meet with me. What happened next was a little unexpected and took me off guard. He asked to withdraw from his position as the Talent Acquisition representative and put himself forward for the role.
I had to step back and think about his core set of skills, how he had serviced us as his customer, and think about his proposition. All his core skills matched many of those we look for in product/service sellers at Cisco.
We met again the following day and white boarded IP-subnetting and how two IP-connect devices communicate.
While offering Ross online training content, I told him if he could come back in a week’s time and explain how it worked to me, I would seriously consider him for the position.
A week later, Ross delivered the pitch, breaking it down and explaining it perfectly.
As a former engineer, I believe that understanding simple IP networking is foundational for most of our products. They need to communicate in one way or another within the network or cloud environment they are servicing.
More connected than LEGO
After interviewing multiple candidates, we agreed Ross was the right person for the role.
Our team built out a learning plan with regular checkpoints and SE support. Over the next two months, Ross committed to his promise. We discovered he was better connected than LEGO with executive stakeholders within the region and could leverage those relationships.
His tenacity in going for the position also translated into customer activity in the form of workshops and sales numbers in closing many large and complex deals across the region. He became one of the most successful members of the team.
Icing on the cake
Ross recently moved from his Analytic Sales position into an APJC-wide position selling the newly acquired Kenna Security product line.
This move presents an opportunity for Ross to expand the presence and success of the product line within the region.
In his first year selling Kenna Security, Ross made Chairman’s Club (now called Club Cisco), recognizing the top one percent of sellers globally across Cisco. This recognition is an exceptional achievement and a rare opportunity that only a select few get to experience.
Would one of the other candidates who may have had the right skills have also achieved Club Cisco? Who knows. But considering individuals with the right raw ingredients and attitude, even if they lack specific cybersecurity skills, can be a worthwhile strategy.
The current scarcity of cybersecurity talent makes finding top professionals in the field challenging.
By giving opportunities to passionate, driven individuals, you may discover a gem like Ross.
Skills can be acquired through training and experience. But finding someone with genuine passion, a hunger for learning, and a strong desire to succeed is invaluable.
Taking a chance can lead to remarkable outcomes and contribute to the growth and success of your team or organization.
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