Travis Jones, Director of Enablement & Events at Autodesk
Travis Jones, Director of Enablement & Events at Autodesk, oversees the development of sales enablement training, events execution and programming for more than 15,000 Autodesk employees globally.
He has won numerous awards for his leadership, innovative programming, and unconventional approaches to training.
He is a member of the Association of Talent Development (ATD), Sales Enablement Society, eLearning Guild, and the Masie Learning Collaborative.
In addition to his work at Autodesk, Travis has given presentations across the country and has authored a number of technical books on Autodesk's manufacturing solutions.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career/role or areas of focus.
My current role is the Director of Enablement & Events for Autodesk. My day-to-day work involves overseeing enablement programs and events for Autodesk's worldwide sales teams and channel partners.
I direct a large team in designing and delivering enablement experiences that empower our sales team, help them become more efficient, and create a measurable improvement in their performance.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
What motivates me is knowing that I make an impact that benefits Autodesk's customers.
I'm continuously inspired by the flexibility I have to design innovative experiences that create excite and motivate my team and target audience.
How do you network? What is your preferred way to network?
LinkedIn is the primary social media platform I use for networking.
I also research innovative technologies and approaches to business. Through this research, I meet people and make new connections.
I find that staying in touch with industry trends through conferences, reports, and personal outreach also help me build connections.
How do you come across new ideas for sales enablement and why?
I take the daily experiences in my life and think about how I can incorporate them into my work.
An example is the experience that I’ve had since purchasing and using a Peloton bike (3+ years ago). That experience has inspired a number of concepts that have been integrated into our sales training and conferences.
I'm always looking for new and innovative ideas that can serve as inspiration for the programs my team brings to life.
What are the challenges of COVID-19 in your company? Did it have a positive or negative effect, and how have you been managing it?
I've seen both positive and negative effects during the pandemic. The pandemic has helped us learn how to work in a more collaborative, personal, and distributed environment.
The constraints of 2020 opened up new, creative approaches to getting projects done. It forced us to think differently about what we do and how we approach our work.
The negative has been challenges in helping new hires make meaningful connections with their team. We've had people who have been with the company for a year but have never physically met anyone on their team. The pandemic has required us to incorporate more intentional onboarding techniques.
Do you have a mentor/coach to support you in your decisions/ideas/challenges, and what is the best advice you have ever received?
I have mentors and coaches from different walks of life - across a variety of different industries.
The best advice I received related to work was to "Take risks… but to communicate and be transparent."
Be upfront about what you’re doing and keep your stakeholders in the loop. This enables an extended team to identify blind spots and be active participants in the process.
What is your project/company's mission, and how do you see it changing in the future?
Autodesk's mission is to help people imagine, design, and make a better world. I help my team realize the company's vision and make it a reality.
My work involves creating role-based journeys that shape the mindset, develop the skill set, and deliver the toolset for our sales teams to work with customers to achieve the company vision.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media and how it affects your business/company?
Social media is an extremely powerful tool. It affects a company's reputation by allowing people to offer praise or voice concerns about a company's practices.
It's also a way to find new talent and prospective clients and to support customer success by creating a connection between customers and the company.
Social media is here to stay.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
I use LinkedIn most frequently because it allows me to keep up with colleagues and make new connections.
It’s a great tool for connecting with other professionals to learn about and share best practices.
I'm also interested in Clubhouse and curious to see where it goes.
How important do you think it is to designate tasks to others, and when it comes to your business, what are the tasks you ask for help with?
It's extremely important. Delegating enables team members to take ownership; It helps a leader figure out their team's strengths and weaknesses and enables employees to grow and develop.
Without delegation, a leader can stifle the opportunity for people to bloom into greatness. A manager needs to have faith in their team and let their employees do things their way… while knowing when to step in and provide coaching. This is what being a good leader is all about.
Do you have any advice or examples of executing a successful business strategy?
At one point in my career, I was leading a Learning and Development (L&D) team and asked to evolve it into a Sales Enablement organization. Our challenge was to flip the mindset of an entire team into a completely new business strategy. This was a very intentional process that took a great deal of planning.
My advice? Identify a multi-year vision for what you want the organization to become and be willing to adjust as the strategy evolves.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
I take pride in doing my job well. I'm extremely motivated by recognition. If someone says, "That's a job well done," I feel we've made an impact in the business.
It's inspiring to know I played a small part in that.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
Bring a variety of experiences to whatever job you have. Look at everything you've done and apply what you've learned. This includes both the successes and the failures you've had in your career.
Each person is a unique part of the team and brings their own experiences to the table. It is important to embrace different opinions and backgrounds. They'll help you meet the needs of different types of customers.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Often, people fail or give up because they've lost passion for what they're doing. In those cases, it's time to try something new.
Another reason people give up is because they're not being properly supported by management. They feel beaten down, and the hill feels too steep to climb.
What are you most proud of in your life?
Professionally, I'm most proud of my journey. Hard work has led to where I am today. I'm passionate about what I do, and I've had the opportunity to learn, develop, and meet new people.
I love working at a company with the intrinsic values that I share; to create a sustainable world, designing and making, and being part of a greater purpose.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
My family is the most important thing in my life. Ultimately, everything I do is because of them.
In terms of hobbies, I play hockey, cycle, enjoy haunted houses and find myself entertaining 20 people weekly (during non-pandemic times).
I'm also a serial entrepreneur, an author, and I have a passion for interactive experiences.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote or saying that you really like?
"There is power in pause."
Society runs a million miles an hour. There's a lot of power in taking time out, thinking about what's next, and reflecting on what went well and what didn't go well.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
People are just people, regardless of their title. When I was young in my career, I was intimidated by executives.
I wish I understood that being confident enables you to contribute to the best of your potential. When you're intimidated, you are not able to contribute openly.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
I admire the revolutionaries and the people who were told that their vision was impossible: Martin Luther King Jr., Amelia Earhart, Elon Musk, Gandhi, to name just a few.
They did not let anyone or anything stop them from accomplishing their vision and dreams.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
A few companies that are getting it right: Apple's vision pulls people in. They've built a solid brand with a loyal fan base that's supportive of their products, whether they're the best or not.
Peloton created an experience that has changed the industry. Disney and Universal Studios make people happy. When thinking of those places, one thinks of the "happiest place on earth".
Finally, Autodesk. Autodesk cares about their employees, and because of that, its employees are passionate and motivated. Autodesk is focused on designing and making a sustainable future.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
Success means that I am enabling others to be successful.
The most important lesson I've learned is that if you're not passionate about what you do then it’s time to find something that excites and motivates you.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
I never stop learning. It helps me reinvent myself, be innovative and forward-thinking.
I also think humility is a huge part of success. I work to be an active listener, to recognize and support others, and to maintain my integrity. I take accountability for myself and the team.