Rob Efrus, founder and CEO of Efrus Federal Advisors, joined host Aileen Black on Leaders and Legends to discuss leadership during adversity. EFA provides government relations and business development consulting services to the public sector sales organizations of small, medium and large federal IT vendors. Areas of emphasis include federal cybersecurity, cloud, data center consolidation, enterprise open source software, data storage and networking, IT asset management and federal records management issues. Efrus said he believes that the best leaders create a working culture that is transparent. He strives to be a servant leader that is results oriented, and said leaders who provide clarity in their communications will produce such an environment.

Efrus shared his views on the events of Jan. 6 and examples of great leadership that day. He  commented on what he had observed and heard from leaders on Capitol Hill, saying, “When I asked Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) to share his experience on Jan 6, he shared he was five foot from where the crowd were banging on the door and Rep. Connolly said he wasn’t scared — he was determined not interrupt the constitutionally mandated process to confirm the election. That is a great example of good leadership. He was going to do his job despite the potential danger.” Efrus went further to say there was leadership on both sides of the aisle. “Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) showed strong convictions to do what she believed was right. She showed courage in her actions and was an example of great leadership by condemning what led up to the riots. She was willing to risk everything, even putting her career in great peril to stand up for what she believed was right.”

Efrus has worked with many great leaders over the years, including James Montgomery Beggs, an American businessman and consultant who served as the sixth NASA administrator from 1981 to 1986. Beggs was a Naval Academy graduate, and he showed leadership and a strong conviction not to give up with in his constant and persistent work of going to Capitol Hill to seek funding for NASA.  Efrus also admires Elon Musk, saying  he finds inspiration in his fearless courage. His favorite Musk quote is “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing you are not innovating.” A local leader that Efrus admires and works with everyday is Craig Abod, whom he said “works harder than anyone I know. He is truly an inspiration. He started Carahsoft from nothing and today employs over 1,500 people.”

Efrus has built a solid network on both sides of the aisle during his 30-plus-year career. When asked what is the best way to build a strong network to build a strong career, he said, “One at a time, with each person. You need to develop trusting relationships. Put the client above your own needs and try to convey all sides of the issue not to surprise people. Develop trust by being transparent and dependable.”

Efrus closed the show with his advice for the next generation of leaders: “Know yourself, and find your passion. Helping the federal government and businesses has always been my passion and you know the saying, do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” He went on to stress, “Don’t be afraid of taking risk, get involved and network and pay attention to the external environment”.

Efrus focuses exclusively on helping companies expand their presence in the federal marketplace. Over the course of his 35-year industry career he has provided outsourced business development and lobbying services to the public sector sales organizations of federal market leaders, including MicroFocus Government Solutions, NetApp, Cisco, VMware, Veritas, Iron Mountain, Lookout, Symantec, Fortinet, A10 Networks, Brocade, Oracle, BEA Systems, Yahoo!, Kronos and the SAS Institute. Efrus has a unique understanding of how to leverage the congressional oversight process, and has a long and distinguished record in helping federal software and technology vendors capture large federal deals. Prior to EFA Rob was a vice president at Van Scoyc and Associates(VSA). VSA is one on the largest and most prestigious lobbying firms in Washington, D.C.

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