How I Got Here: Trevor’s Career Journey Across Four Countries and Five Roles
In this career-journey series, Marketing Director Trevor shares why patient listening is the most helpful skill he’s acquired, the top career advice he’s received, and how his career at McAfee has taken him across four countries and five roles in 11 years.
Learn more about the steps they took to find success and their advice to help you do the same.
Q: Tell us about your McAfee career journey.
“Three continents, four countries, five roles, eleven years. At McAfee, I’ve lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Afghanistan (mobilized as an army reservist), Luxembourg, and the United States. I’ve worked in acquisition marketing, sales, marketing operations and technology, retention marketing, and strategic projects.”
Q: What do you like most about working at McAfee?
“Great people, interesting problems, and we’re always driving new ways to innovate and grow the business.”
Q: Can you share more about your role and typical day?
“In terms of a workday, no two are alike, but there are three constants to what I’m working on:
I’m delivering projects that drive or protect McAfee’s future revenue streams and profitability or I’m Uncovering, stitching, and interpreting facts and information into a narrative to advise and inform senior leadership decision making
I’m learning & developing myself. Since I joined McAfee the company has supported me in gaining an advanced degree in E-Commerce Technology from Manchester University and more recently supported me in attending Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
After March 2020 our local office went remote. This has meant I was able to restructure and balance out my home life. My day always starts the same (early) followed by coffee, gym, or training at ice hockey, and then family breakfast and dropping my son off at school. Workflows throughout the day. McAfee is an environment where you can balance your life and work.
Whilst I miss the daily interaction with my colleagues, the local ones all live within 5-30 minutes of me, allowing for many impromptu or planned meet-ups 😊.”
Q: What is one of the most helpful skills you have developed in your career at McAfee?
“Listening persistently and patiently .
Being heard and delivering growth starts with listening. In a complex organization, there can be a lot of people impacted by what might, at first, be considered a simple change.
Persistence and tenacity are what helps you maintain your drive towards a goal or a project.
Patience is what pulls it all together. It takes time to get everyone on board, and then it takes more time for them to align, start, forget, get distracted, restart, fall down, pick themselves up and start running. “
Q: What makes your role exciting?
“I love working and interacting with people across all functions, groups, and locations. I love learning about new cultures, perspectives, and the different behaviors of consumers worldwide that we have to plan and adapt for. I also love the diversity of work and activity of what I get to do! ”
Q: Tell us about a time when you had to get outside of your comfort zone to further your career development.
“One day my leader asked me if I would be willing to move into a sales role to better align with the strategic direction of the company while building out my own skillset. Instead of panicking about the unknown, I made a decision to embrace this as a growth opportunity.
From scratch, I built up a sales pipeline, learned how to negotiate, run contracts, and negotiate. I shadowed our best sales leaders, read and re-read ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’, learned Sandler methodology, and had to cold call (it’s not as scary as it sounds and there’s a true art in doing it well!).
The result of these efforts? I closed multiple deals and built up a digital reseller network. I still remember the first deal I closed. As soon as the prospect agreed to the number proposed, I kicked myself under the table… I realized I should have negotiated and asked for more! But experience is how we learn and the skills I acquired during this period ultimately made me a better marketer and put me on the path I’m on today.”
Q: What advice would you give to prospective McAfee employees who are looking to drive their career forwards?
“I also wondered the same thing, so I asked a senior McAfee executive about how she’d managed to get to the top of the organization.
I’ll never forget her response – “I asked.”
I interpreted that as… be a positive force for the people around you, deliver results, ask for more… and your career will continue moving forwards.”
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Thinking about how to propel your career forward? Interested in hearing more about how McAfee fosters career growth and development? Stay tuned for more in our ‘How I Got Here’ series as we spotlight the journeys of team members who cultivated rich and impressive career paths here at McAfee.
Want to join a team that invests in YOU? Check out our roles today.
