Leo Levit, Chairman, ONVIF Steering Committee: Best Advice

The Best Advice Q&A series continues into its fifth month with Leo Levit, chairman of the ONVIF Steering Committee. He discusses the best advice he’s ever gotten, how he spurs young security industry members to greater things and who others in the sector should listen to at all costs.

Security Sales & Integration: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Leo Levit: In our intense and hectic environment, we tend to be excited by the idea of reaching our goals and objectives as quickly as possible. At first glance, this level of ambition sounds like a perfect strength to list on your CV. But is it really?

Some years ago as part of a leadership training, a trainer said, “You have two eyes and one mouth. You should utilize those resources accordingly: spend at least twice as much energy on listening than talking.” Being an active and good listener opens you up to amazing sources of knowledge from the ones around you. To use this valuable resource in your daily work can only help you to achieve your long-term goals.

SSI: What advice would you give to those looking to achieve success in the security industry?

Levit: The security industry is in transition, from a rather conservative, slow moving marketplace to a space of innovation and rapid adoption of new technologies. It is important to be curious about the true benefits that a customer or a user is really looking for.

Ask “why” as many times as you need to so you can understand the true driver behind their request. It is a great question to ask. And it is a great question to get. It helps you target the real need and the real question they are asking.

SSI: If you could point to one person in the security industry and tell up-and-comers, “Make sure to listen to what they have to say,” whom would you pick and why?

Levit: The security industry is a fantastic place. There are not many industries as diverse as this one in terms of the range of players – from multinational enterprises with hundreds of thousands of employees to disruptive startups. But what always inspires me is leadership that makes an impact. In many cases that is achieved by driving change.

To challenge a conservative approach requires courage, strategic thinking and strong leadership skills. The ability to see beyond “the usual” is something that I really admire. It is difficult to single out one person with this skill set. As our industry is evolving at an ever growing pace, we are fortunate to have many leaders with these capabilities that I look up to.

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