Sid Fuchs doesn’t just love playing the guitar and bass in several bands or riding his Harley on a nice day, he also loves helping others by giving advice on networking and connecting people. While writing a book on networking, Fuchs sits as a senior advisor at INDUS, Corp., in addition to several corporate boards in the government contracting industry.
With over 25 years of experience in the executive seat and turning 50 years old this year, Fuchs is a connector and a networker who has accomplished much in his career. Upon entering college, Fuchs would have never guessed that his life would have journeyed to where it is now. Entering Louisiana State University as a journalism major, Fuchs graduated with a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and quickly made his way to Washington D.C. to serve as an intelligence officer with the CIA for eight years.
From then on, Fuchs has climbed up the career ladder by obtaining many senior positions at various companies. These positions included leadership roles at Digital Equipment Corporation, Oracle and Rational Software. He even became the President and CEO of both TASC Inc. and OAO Technology Solutions.
Along with working at INDUS Corp., Fuchs is on the board of the Camber Corporation, Applied Research Associates and Geocent, Inc. He is also a member of the Defense Science Board’s Intelligence Task Force and the National Defense University’s Board of Visitors, a federal appointment he received from the White House and Secretary of Defense in 2002.
With a long list of companies Fuchs has been involved with, he is simply an expert in connecting and networking. Building and sustaining relationships has always been an important aspect to the way Fuchs has done business. But he makes sure to balance his personal brands inside and outside the office.
“With your personal brand, you can’t control what goes into it, but you can manage how people perceive you,” said Fuchs. His personal brand consists of risk-taking, creativity, decision-making, being “people-oriented,” balancing family with work, and–finally–a bit of edge.
The elements that make up his personal brand are also what guide Fuchs through networking. After writing several articles on networking, Fuchs is finishing the editing stages on a book on the subject. The book is essentially a “how to” book and teaches readers how to effectively network while advocating its importance. The book should be published and on shelves in a few months.
As far as what the future holds, Fuchs is unsure. With much work already accomplished and his book in the works, he is already living the dream. What is certain is that he will continue spending time with his wife and three teenage boys, traveling and riding his Harley every chance he can. While continuing to live the dream Fuchs states, “the unknown excites me and makes life that much more interesting.”
Fuchs was recently named Chairman to the Board of Governors at the Tyson’s Corner Tower Club.