Austin Trahern is a graduate of Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, where he also played wide receiver on the football team. Following that, he enrolled in Louisiana State University, Shreveport, successfully earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis on marketing. Finding employment at a storage facility in Pueblo, Colorado, Austin quickly worked his way into a management position before moving to Denver to reunite with his fiancé. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic severely limiting employment options in his field of expertise, Austin has kept busy working for a moving company as their relocation coordinator.
Currently, Austin Trahern is searching for a professional niche to employ the knowledge and skills he has acquired from his many years of education and his amassed work experience. A true people person with an interest in sales, Austin is confident he will find a path forward to utilize his MBA and pursue a fruitful and rewarding career in the marketing sector once the Colorado economy fully reopens in the wake of the statewide lockdown caused by the pandemic.
What keeps you motivated?
The relentless pursuit of becoming better in every aspect of life is what keeps me motivated to continue improving myself. I am determined to develop my career by continuously reflecting on how I can improve as a professional. In my personal life, I strive to be a good fiancé and man of faith, and I do that by prioritizing the people and things that matter the most to me.
How do you motivate others?
I believe the best way to motivate others is to lead by example. My mentor has always said, “live the gospel every day, and if needed, use words.” The ideal at the core of this sentiment translates into motivating others because you never know who is watching you and whether they could potentially be inspired by your actions.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I originally got my inspiration from my parents. I’m sure everyone thinks that they have the greatest parents in the world, but as they were raising me, my parents demonstrated numerous positive character attributes every single day. They made it look totally effortless. As I have gotten older, I attempt to emulate their integrity, ambition, and kindness.
Who has been a role model to you and why?
Ever since I was a kid, my mom has always been a role model to me. She was a phenomenal mother to my brother and me, all the while achieving incredible success in her career. She somehow managed to balance both her personal and professional life very well.
How do you maintain a solid work/life balance?
I maintain a solid work/life balance by being present. While at work, I prioritize whatever tasks need to be accomplished that day. When at home, I re-energize by doing something that I enjoy. Things like spending time with my family, my dogs, or engaging in a hobby. As cliché as this sounds, I am a true believer in the philosophy of taking things day by day.
What traits do you possess that make a successful leader?
I have had the opportunity to work under several successful leaders and had the benefit of learning from their excellent leadership examples. First and foremost, I believe a leader must possess the ability to build a relationship where there is mutual respect and trust. I also think that a leader collaborates with a team to find a solution, rather than telling a team how they need to fix a problem. Lastly, a leader must embody an infectious positive attitude to boost morale. I have witnessed these effective leadership qualities throughout my career and now emulate and apply them in my own leadership style.
What is one piece of advice that you’ve never forgotten?
“Never forget who you are.” A man who I looked up to like a second father related those wise words to me when I was a young man and they have never left me. I consider these words and remind myself of who I am whenever I feel lost or don’t know what to do. No matter what situation or challenge I face, remembering that advice has always helped me a great deal.
What is one piece of advice you would give to others?
I believe in the value of self-reflection. From a teenager feeling peer pressure to conform in high school to someone conflicted about whether or not they should buy a certain item or put their shopping cart away, self-reflection is always valuable and can be applied to many different aspects of life. We should always think about who we are and what we value as we make decisions about how to react.
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned?
I have learned that no matter how far someone has fallen, they can always get back up.