The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 13, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Dec. 8.
Next is Business Development Executive of the Year (Public Company) finalist Ray McDuffie, who’s vice president of public strategic programs at Dell Technologies. Here, he talks key achievements, primary focuses going forward, career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2020/2021?
While the pandemic presented new hurdles for our agency partners, it also challenged us at Dell Technologies to innovate to serve their needs.
Business decision-makers, rather than traditional IT decision-makers, needed to navigate IT procurement at a time when they were already more stretched than ever. Serving as a partner to federal government is crucial to the work I do. I’m proud to have armed these individuals with the necessary knowledge to collaborate and make smart technology decisions to support pandemic-induced challenges and recovery.
During the same period, I also had the privilege of serving as a partner to the DOD, supporting its most significant collaboration and productivity transformation through the Defense Enterprise Office Solution. Through the program, we helped the DOD achieve over $20 million in savings from the initial purchase order alone.
What has made you successful in your current role?
Listening to and supporting customer needs enables success in my role. My goal is always to be a trusted partner. For example, in early 2020, we saw a 120% increase in demand for portable devices, Notebooks and other devices needed for remote work, just as supply chains ran out of critical resources.
Luckily, we were able to help our agency partners stay ahead of the curve by anticipating the massive uptick in demand and mitigating long lead times by providing aggressive forecasts that benefited all agencies.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
Through the Dell Global Recovery Center of Excellence, I’m proud to play a role in addressing some of the most pressing challenges agencies faced in the pandemic.
I take great pride in our ability to keep agencies working and serving citizens from home. The leaders and workers at the agencies we serve are remarkably resilient. Every day, I am in awe of the brilliant minds I get to lead and interact with.
What are your primary focuses going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
From flexible technology and exceptional infrastructure to strategic initiatives, Dell will always drive innovation. In the year to come, there are amazing efforts on the horizon when it comes to adopting innovative infrastructure and multicloud environments, exploring emerging technologies like AI and digital twins and addressing major IT challenges, like cybersecurity.
I look forward to supporting the federal government as it adopts these technologies in the near term and strategic future. How we approach and utilize emerging technologies will define agency mission success.
What’s the biggest professional risk you’ve ever taken?
I started off as an electrical engineer. It was a great job and took me around the world. One day, I ran into a former colleague in a Starbucks in Reston, Virginia, of all places. He suggested we catch up over lunch. The next day, he offered me a job at his computer company. I took the leap.
I went from being a salaried engineer to a full-time sales guy with a massive quota to meet. I had never sold anything in my life before. Nine months later, I was the No. 6 sales guy in the corporation.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Never lose sight of who you truly are. You have to be trustworthy and honest. You have to live in your morals. That’s why I was able to make such a big leap from engineering to sales successfully. I tell my customers the truth. I told the first customer we visited that we couldn’t accomplish what they were asking. A few months later, that same customer came back to us with a $30 million order.
Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of?
I’m proud of the people who have worked for me. Seeing my former employees rise to leadership positions at Dell Technologies and other companies is gratifying. I want my people to succeed. It’s what you want as a leader, and as a parent. I hire people with two particular traits: aptitude and attitude.
They have to understand the nuts and bolts of the job; they have to be bright. But they also have to be the right kind of person for the work. I hire for potential. I don’t want everyone thinking the same way. You shouldn’t hire birds of a feather. I want diverse ideas.