Lance Reid

CEO

Founded Telcion 20 years ago

What was your first job?

For several years in Jr. High and High School I had a lawn mowing business.  It was the only thing I could do as a teenager to make enough money to support my computer habit.

What energizes you at work? 

I love working with customers to solve their technology problems. 

What drains you at work? 

Any kind of frivolous paperwork or busy work.

What led you to this career? 

I’ve been interested in computers since I was a kid and could never get enough of it.  I went to work at a local computer store when I was a senior in High School. It was there that I got the opportunity to learn how to build computers and back then, build the first ethernet networks.  I loved it, and I was pretty good at it.  For a variety of reasons, the local computer store went out of business, and the customers I had worked with started calling me at home to come help them.  I loved doing that, and it turned out that I had enough customers calling to support me financially so that I could keep doing it.  I’ve always been entrepreneurial, and Computer Consulting fit right into that.  Over time I invested more to become an expert in specific technologies, instead of being a jack of all trades, which proved to be more valuable for me and my clients.  I’ve never regretted those early decisions that have led down this path.  It’s been a lot of fun.  Nowadays though, my focus has turned to operating and growing a business, which requires different skills, than being a day to day implementor of technology. 

What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why? 

I would lean towards having a lot of confidence in getting the desired results.  Technology can be a tricky business sometimes.  Not everything works as advertised and there are often many types of obstacles that will arise during a project.  I know I don’t know everything, but I won’t give up in getting to an end result that meets the desired objective.  I think most clients want an IT company that believes in the solutions they sell and will do what it takes to get it done.  It hasn’t always been easy. I’ve seen some doozies over the years, which have made me a tad more cautious on recommending bleeding edge solutions. But I still remain very confident that we can get it done, or we won’t do it.

If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, what would it be?

I’ve been student of Cisco technologies 25+ years, and particularly in the collaboration field.  I learned early on that it’s very difficult to be an expert in many different technologies. So I chose collaboration as the area I wanted to go deep in, and I’ve really enjoyed that.  However, in today’s world, security has become such an important factor in the solutions our clients need. I would love to have a much deeper expertise in this topic.  It’s a tough topic and requires a lot of work to stay ahead of it.  If only I could mind meld with another expert . . . 

What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day?

Most often, I pray.  I’ve been a Christ follower for most of my life, and I have a deep belief that God is in control of everything and most things are out of my control.  So I just pray that the Lord will take care of whatever is burdening me, and I move on.  I do what I can do, what is in my control, and I leave the rest to the Lord.

If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would you choose?

This probably sounds silly, but my favorite comedian is Jerry Seinfeld.  I love to laugh, and I love making others laugh.  To be on stage or making content doing that would be a lot of fun for me. 

What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?

On Friday nights, that’s family time.   I like picking the kids up from school and just hanging out with the family.  Saturday’s, I gravitate towards doing various projects around the house or building something in my shop.  There is always something that needs to be fixed or built, and I like working with my hands to build something useful.  On Sunday’s, you will find me at church in the mornings, and in the afternoons, especially during football season, I’ll be watching my favorite teams play (49ers!).

If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which would you pick?

Messages, WSJ, audible

What advice would you give to your teenage self? 

Don’t force things to happen.  Take your time and be content with where you are at in the moment.

What’s one song or artist that you’re embarrassed to admit you like? 

Kid Rock.

What book are you reading now? 

Mastering the Art of Command - Admiral Nimitz and victory in the Pacific

What’s one hobby you’d love to get into? 

Ceramics.  When I was in High School, I took 2 years of ceramics (pottery) and just loved it.  I’ve taken some night classes over the years.  But some day I’d like to get my own setup at home so I can make my own stuff.  It’s a wonderful creative outlet, and it plugs into my joy of making things.

Thank you Lance!

You may also like: