IMC Member Profile: Rick Vanover
I sat down with Rick Vanover a few weeks ago and think he is such a great example of someone who naturally embodies leadership. Rick is the Director of Technical Product Marketing and Evangelism for Veeam Software. He is the kind of guy who is genuinely motivated by helping others. He understands the importance adapting to change, the power of patience, and “extracurriculars.” The IMC is lucky to have The Rickatron as a Founding Member we are looking forward to co-creating with Rick in 2018. -Kat
Without a doubt. I am more patient than anyone. I want to give everyone a chance. It is better to have it right, than to have it right now.
What was your first paid job?
Newspaper delivery when I was 12 years old. Even though navigating through a tough Ohio winter, I learned about being on time and adhering to a schedule. Schedule and timeliness are key — Rickatron Time is On Time!
How did you land in your current role?
I joined Veeam in 2010 — going on 7 years. In my own personal sense I had plateaued as an IT end user. I had worked at a bank and a glass company. Prior to that, I worked as an implementation engineer in the supply chain industry for a good part of my career for a large German conglomerate. One thing I learned through my career progression, is that I needed variety in my work life. It really drives me; I thrive on it.
In my current role, no two days are the same. One day I may be waking up in Tokyo, another day I may be working on a very challenging implementation, or a major event like VMworld, in the lab or writing a white paper, launching a product, giving feedback to R&D.
I’ve been writing blogs since 2001, before they even called them blogs. I wrote for some of the commercial sites like 1105 Media, CBS Interactive and TechTarget, but I did not have my own blog yet. I had great momentum on what I call “extracurriculars” — writing blogs, presenting at events like Gartner and TechMentors, writing white papers. The extracurriculars became what I really loved.
The core has stayed the same; the mechanics have changed. Knowing what I like helps to drive me. Most of what I do, I really like. It really helps to have a strong support network, to be strategic, and to delegate the home stuff.
Decide what is the best to matter to engage in. When I book travel, I will often do a “trip clip”: I may take a major event and come late or leave early. It is important to know exactly what you want to accomplish and to be scrupulous on schedule and terms of engagement. These roles will take everything you have from you, if you are not careful. Learning how to do some of these hacks have been useful.
Who has inspired you in your career?
In every job in my career there have been individuals who have inspired me. I want the professionalism of Bill from my job 15 years ago. I want the moral and ethical guidelines of Mike from 8 years ago. I want the presentation and technical acumen from Danny in my current work. If you name an individual discipline, I can tell you a story about someone who has influenced me. Back in my role at the German conglomerate, I was assigned a mentor who was a brilliant rocket scientist. He was a test engineer, brilliant guy. Stuart told me that whenever the answer was not clear to “change the geometry.” I have used this as a guideline ever since. That mindset has influenced me tremendously.
When did you know you could make a living in Influence Marketing?
This community of extracurriculars….I knew it could make a difference when it changed my presence and my interaction. When I got named a vExpert in 2009; that and some other credentials propelled me into new jobs. That told me it makes a difference in my career; therefore, I liked it!
I am now a member of three Influence Marketing programs (VMware vExpert, Microsoft MVP, & Cisco Champions) and I administer one (Veeam Vanguard), which gives me a unique perspective. Influence Marketing has made a difference in my career. Then I knew on the other side when my Co-CEO gives me the budgetary support to do whatever I need to do to get my job done; that support has been instrumental.
How do you define success in your current role?
For the role, I define success by people wanting to be a part of the Vanguard program. On the other side, I have people inside the company wanting to leverage my team. They see my team as an extension of the Vanguard Program. I measure the role’s success when I look at public-facing things staffed by my team. Also, the content and strategies and mindshare techniques shared at in-person events became a good starting point, because they trickle down to blogs and webinars. When I see the backward work pushed forward — that is a good indicator.
How do define success for yourself?
You never say “I am done.” I always want to tune to conditions. Roles change. I need to change this practice to always be in the right space and time. At Veeam it is important, because we are launching products and we hire new people, etc. Having all the momentum managed is how I manage my personal success. It changes one week to the next, and it doesn’t always line up with annual budgets and things like that.
Q: Give us a “day in the life”?
Wake up 6am. Check phone. And then until 8:00 — I am Dad. I get my kids up, fed and off to school.
8am at office. Meetings and working on delivering. Working in the lab. Working on content. Keeping in touch with my influencers. Giving them opportunities. Checking social. Going through a dizzying array of meetings.
3 to 4 pm things get quiet. 3:30 to 6:30 is my Power Hour: crank out content, catch up, read news, books, blogs, continuous learning, listen to podcasts.
6:30 to 9:00 is family time. I love spending time with my family. I love to cook and do most of the cooking at home. Ever since traveling to New Mexico, I make my own spice mixes. I’ve been experimenting with vegan dishes lately.
What’s been your most important skill in building your professional career?
Patience. Without a doubt. I am more patient than anyone. I want to give everyone a chance. It is better to have it right, than to have it right now. Back at the German conglomerate, you would be given some direction for something that would be happening in a year and a half.
Regarding patience, some things in organizations take time, and I want to understand the environment, and I want to give everyone a shot. In addition to patience, resilience and drive combined have been what kept me going.
Q: What’s been your greatest challenge in building your career?
The biggest challenge I have overcome is watching incredible change go on around me. I have been in situations, three times over, with incredible layoffs or catastrophic economic decimation. For example, I was in NYC on 9/11 working in the airport baggage system of the United Airlines terminal at Newark. You can’t get much closer to the heat than that. I saw the second building fall with my own eyes. That was catastrophic to the company I was working for at the time. All of our big projects were put on hold, which then led to a reduction in force.
I can walk into almost any situation and adapt to it. Adaptation and patience help to navigate through change successfully. Technology changes have helped me to be able to adapt to change tremendously.
Q: What’s been your greatest reward in the work that you do?
Helping people out is one of my favorite things. If I enable a stakeholder and give them what they want; when they write that thank you letter — that is my reward, the personal element. I love a good team and set of co-workers. It is a dynamic way more than it is just a job. I am a very emotional person like that. That’s what drives me.
Q: What do you want to learn from a community of your peers?
What the next big thing is. What I should start doing. What I should stop doing. What I need to keep doing. Start, stop, keep. And what my peers answers to those questions are…
Rick on Twitter: @RickVanover
Rick’s blog: rickvanover.com
Rick talks more about the Veeam Vanguard program in Episode 001 of our very own Influence Marketing Podcast:
