Interview with Roderic Forrest Robinson

In today's competitive world, it's essential to have a forward-thinking and adaptive approach towards your business. To delve deeper into this topic, we interviewed Roderic Forrest Robinson, a seasoned advisor who has a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen. Robinson's role as a Sales Engineer has taken him on several paths, including Technical Account Management, Technical Evangelism, and Program Management. In this interview, Robinson shares his expertise on how to stay grounded yet adaptable amidst changing circumstances, the importance of teaching and learning, and the disruptive trends he foresees in his industry. He also offers insights into the most impactful project he was involved in and how they overcame the obstacles. Learn from Robinson's experiences as an executive and gain a deeper understanding of how to make your business work for you.

What are your areas of expertise?

Adapting to change yet staying grounded... Understanding the landscape and what you can and cannot control, focusing on the practical yet taking risks, being "commercially aware" while valuing the greater good.

Being influential without trying to manage details. There's a fine balance between confidence and humility, and knowing when/how to use each is pretty important. I don't consider myself an Executive by any means, but I do have an ability to "coach" both upwards and downwards in the organizational structure.

Knowing the audience and "Right Sizing" the conversation is how I would sum it up.

What's your main motivation for being an advisor?

I was lucky enough to be branded as a "Sales Engineer" right out of University with a Business Admin / Comp Sci "combined" degree, which was new at that time.

The title of "SE" means different things to different people, but every position I've held since has been a mix of ongoing technical learning and business common sense. While being tagged as an SE, I've acted in several roles, including Project/Program Manager, Technical Account Manager, Technical Evangelist, and even the bag-carrying Sales guy. The SE has to be a chameleon.

We always say "I'm eager to learn", when I believe what we should be saying is "I'm eager to teach". It's proven that teaching helps you learn. We might as well use those learning calories we burn to achieve growth opportunities for those around us.

What types of situations are you capable of advising on?

Stealing opportunity from obstacles. The technology is always going to change, and that part is easy to learn. Looking into your assets and developing creative ways to apply what you already have is a neat trick.

Not recreating the doughnut is another one. Does your product really need to look and feel like the competition? Are you chasing or leading?

There are several soft skills I've picked up over the years that also seem to be helpful: The "Evil P's", the "Channel of choice", and "Knowing when to be stupid" are just a few.

And separation in messaging, which sort of goes with the doughnut thing above but could just be the words you use to present your product or solution. The typical "Apple vs. PC" scenario in marketing.

Do you see any disruptive trends on the horizon in your industry or position?

Disruptive is an interesting word. People today are saying the same things about AI that we did when Wiki came out. And the internet itself was scary for some. I've looked back at "emerging technology" and how it was received. The Industrial Revolution. Electric light. The wheel. There's always going to be doubters.

Eventually, we are going to embrace "Augmented" Intelligence in some way. There will have to be governance in some way. We're blindly running down this path and not really concerned with the nefarious uses of the technology. We will be very soon...

The only real obstacle or disruption is not learning how to make it work for us and our particular situation.

Tell me about the most impactful project or decision you’ve been involved in as an executive.

Easily, the Text-to-911 program was the most impactful. I didn't really MAKE a lot of big decisions on that journey in my role, but I influenced many. We had to prove many things along the way, and many fell on their swords. Uncovering and rallying behind the very simple technical factoid behind that technology.

In conclusion, if you're in search of a seasoned professional who can help you navigate the ever-changing world of SEO and marketing, look no further than Roderic Forrest Robinson. With a keen ability to adapt to change while staying grounded, understand the landscape, and focus on the practical yet take risks, Roderic is the ideal advisor for any organization. He is commercially aware while valuing the greater good, and knows how to be influential without getting bogged down in details. Whether you need coaching for your team, guidance for yourself, or simply someone who understands the audience and can "right size" the conversation, Roderic is the person you're looking for. So why wait? Head over to AdvisoryCloud today and hire Roderic Forrest Robinson to take your business to the next level!