Meet Christopher Macwan of Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Macwan.

Hi Christopher, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I came to the USA from India in October 2010 on an immigration visa sponsored by my grandparents and aunt. It was a new environment, culture, language, lifestyle, and everything new to me. I was 24yrs old when I moved to the USA, so it was a tough transition. I had to restart my life.

I joined US Army Reserves in November 2010, just one month after coming to the States. I consider myself blessed as I could pass the ASVAB exam without much preparation. My first non-military job in the USA was working as a Cashier at a Convenient Store. I worked for convenience stores till 2017; I developed customer service and problem-solving skills during my time at convenience stores. In India, I had worked in sales, so I had marketing skills that helped me work at the stores.

For me, Jesus Christ and my family always come first. I have always worked hard because I wanted my parents to retire early and enjoy their retirement without worrying about finances. My parents didn’t have a wealthy childhood and had to sacrifice a lot. My mother sacrificed her studies so her siblings could go to school. My father’s parents died when he was very young. My father ate scraps from dumpsters. My parents sacrificed a lot to fulfill my and my 3 sisters’ dreams. I have always tried to fulfill my parent’s wishes/dreams as I do not want them to sacrifice their dreams anymore. My parents always had a dream of having their own home. My parent’s income was not enough for them to qualify for a home loan with their income. Even my income working in a convenience store was not enough to qualify them as co-applicants. Around that time, I started attending Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, CA. Attending the Church gave me motivation and a message that I believe was from God that He is with me and He has given a gift to me to be successful in life. I felt I needed to work in a different industry during that time, so I started applying for a Security job.

In 2017, I started working as a Security Officer for Securitas Critical Infrastructure Services, Inc. (SCIS). I was assigned to an Aerospace Company in Brea, CA. At first, I was hesitant to join a security company, especially with getting paid less than in my previous job and because of the security industry review. Most people think working as a security officer has no value and often treat security officers poorly. I have heard many comments that it is an easy job, making free money by just sitting down. Many have said, security officers cause more trouble than they’re worth. I would disagree with them as Security is not an easy job and certainly there is no free money. As a security officer, I learn that the security job is about responsibility and serving the community/company. At many locations, there is 24/7 security present, which means that even when others enjoy their holidays and weekends off, most security officers are on-duty. Security officers protect the facilities from threats such as fire, robbery, workplace violence, etc. The facilities are sometimes over millions of dollars worth which is a huge responsibility for the security officers to protect. I agree most security officers may not have had a good experience working in the security industry. Still, it would be to the company and the management they work for. Even I had a similar experience working for another security company. Most security officers do not get motivation from their supervisors or are not motivated by themselves, so they lack energy.

It didn’t matter how my management was, as I was focused on raising my standard and moving forward. I learned a lot from how my managers treated the team and me. I took the best of my manager’s leadership styles and omitted the bad ones. I always looked for an opportunity to make myself better. I took online classes on Leadership, read leadership books, classes on emergency management, etc. That helped me be confident in what I was doing and made me stand out from my coworkers. SCIS had many different courses they provided through their LMS (Learning Management System) that helped me learn about Security. I always volunteered to go to other sites, which taught me to learn different security systems and procedures and meet other coworkers. I believe that if we don’t take our job seriously and respect our positions, we should not expect others to do the same.

During my first year with SCIS, my Supervisor, Mr. Terrazas, E., and my Program Manager Mr. Etienne, N., nominated me for the SCIS Officer of the Year 2017 award. I was selected from over 12000 SCIS employees to be the year’s employee for 2017. I was awarded a Certificate and a Check by SCIS President Mr. Re, N. in the presence of the West District Director Mr. Conteh, J., Program Manager Mr. Etienne, N., and our client then, Mr. Fernandez, P. It was a great achievement for me as it was my first year in security. I believe my hard work and dedication to work paid off. When I started working for security, my goal was not to win awards but to improve myself. I kept focusing on making myself better and kept being productive. Integrity is doing the right things even when no one is watching. I kept enforcing it on myself without expecting to be rewarded for it. God blessed me in 2018 when we purchased a home in Riverside, CA. It took almost 8 years to fulfill my parent’s dream, but it was fulfilled with dedication and God’s blessing. When we purchased the home, on that day, I remembered one of my Church Pastor who is no longer alive, Mr. Gohil, E. had told us in 2010 when we arrived in the USA that God would bless us in many ways to trust in God.

In Brea, CA, my Client Mr. Owens, R., was the Facility Security Officer (FSO). He was a great person with a great work ethic. I started asking him questions, and like a mentor, he gave me all the answers. He told me to complete some courses on a government website to get an FSO Certification. I started taking the courses, and he would often check on me on how I was doing and if I needed any help. He took time out of his busy schedule and supported me to grow. In 2018, I was promoted to be an Account Manager for a client in Anaheim, CA.

To all the security officers, who do not believe in themselves, please know I dedicated myself and went over and above, so in just 1 year, I was promoted. It was my first experience managing a Security Team, and I didn’t know what to expect. We had a diverse team as we had officers from different areas of life, race, faith, belief, religion, background, ages, etc. I believe taking different leadership courses helped me to understand my role better. I went over and above my role as Account Manager and started communicating more with the team. I organized team-building activities, so the team could get to know each other. I learned which schedules worked best for each individual and what motivated them to have a career. I shared my personal experience with them and motivated them to move forward. To boost confidence, I would have them present a topic in front of the team every quarter. My Program Manager Mr. Etienne, N., also supported me greatly by providing the resources I needed to grow and do my job. He often complimented and gave gift cards as prizes, which encouraged my team a lot as the management recognized them. To all the managers, please ensure your team is recognized and involved in day-to-day activities. You’re simply telling them that “good job” will mean a lot to them. I nominated my team for officers of the month, an officer of the quarter, and supervisor of the quarter awards, and they won many awards. Before I left SCIS, my team had won over 12 awards, and some promoted my team members to shift leads, supervisors, and account managers SCIS.

In May 2020, my client at Anaheim, CA, had a job opening for a Security Specialist position at their firm. I applied and was hired for that position. Mr. Empeno, A. and Mr. Martin, D. helped transition from being Account Managers for physical security to Security Specialist in Industrial Security. Even though it was security, it was different than what I was doing. I had to learn new security systems, procedures, and policies and work with new coworkers. I was a manager and worked as a team member, but it didn’t affect me as I always like to be a team player and contribute to the team. Throughout my career, I have seen it’s hard for someone in a management position to accept a job that is not a management position.

I don’t know why they feel like that, as it teaches us to be humble and contribute our experience for the better of the team and the organization. Mr. Owen’s guidance in completing the FSO Certification course helped me understand my job. My coworkers, Ms. Mungcal, A. and Ms. Orozco, L., greatly supported me. We helped one another and lifted each other. We shared the work so we could complete tasks before the due date. It was a great learning experience with them. Even during this job, I kept completing courses that helped me learn different security industry disciplines. I always kept researching topics that were hard for me to understand. My direct manager, Mr. Martin, D., and another manager, Mr. Fernandez, P., guided me and exposed me to different security areas. They shared their knowledge and years of experience and prepared me to be a great resource for the team.

In 2021, a position opened for the FSO in Mesa, Arizona, which meant I had to move from California and start everything new. But I had learned from my experience of moving from India to the USA that it is another opportunity for me to grow and trust in God’s plan hired me for the position for an aerospace company in Mesa, Az, as an FSO. A dream that I had in 2018 was fulfilled in 2021. Usually, it takes 5 years plus experience as a security specialist, but it took 3 years for me to become the FSO. No one knew or could believe I would be an FSO one day. I started in security at $13.50 per hour and now make 4 times more per hour. At my current job, Mr. Empeno, H., Mr. Zamba, M., and Mr. Swigert, R. supports me to be better at my job. I am learning new things from their vast experience in other security disciplines to which I was never exposed. I still have not stopped learning and growing. I am now focusing on learning Cyber Security and getting certification in other security disciplines to stay competitive with others.

I want to purchase a home in Arizona, and Keller Williams Arizona Realty was offering and paying to go for Real Estate School. I took advantage of it and now am a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Arizona Realty. We come across many opportunities like this, but we don’t want to take those opportunities. I have never declined an opportunity that can help me grow. On the weekends and evenings, I now watch videos of successful Realtors who share their experiences, which is helping me learn more about Real Estate. On weekends, I am searching for a home for myself and will be helping others to have their dream fulfilled of purchasing a home.

I dedicate some hours to Uber and Lyft, where I meet people and learn their stories. I also share my story and also use this as an opportunity as a marketing tool for Real Estate. I have learned some great stories and have implemented learnings in work and personal lifestyle. I also met people who needed some motivation to fight against the difficulties they were going through.

I thank everyone who was/are/will be for me or against me because, in every experience, I will learn something that will help me grow. Everyone with whom we interact in our life teaches us some things. Be humble, let people who want to go, bless them, and move forward. Don’t let betrayal or hurt keep you from achieving your dreams or reaching the destination where God wants to take you. We can never be perfect, but we can always learn from our experiences to be better than the rest of others. We should focus on growing rather than focusing on becoming perfect. Don’t turn away or run away from opportunities that might come across you. You have a gift inside you; utilize it to be the person you want. The Internet is a good tool for connecting with people, learning new things, discovering opportunities, and growing. Use all resources that are available to you and be in a group that will lift you.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
Coming to a new country at an age when you had to leave everything you had and starting it new is never easy. It has not been a smooth road. First, I had to fight my fears.

I started watching English news, videos, and sermons and took help from internet tools to pronounce some words. My main struggle was my accent. It was hard for people to understand my accent at first; still, some do, but I worked very hard to improve it.

The second struggle had an Indian background. Sometimes it can be hard for born Americans to follow the lead of other people who come from other countries. Also, there is a stigma that Indians are tech savvy and have a business mind. People do not see the struggles I faced as an Indian to be in the position I am right now. Some believe I was just given the position rather than see the work I did to earn it.

The third was keeping the team together and having older; experienced employees follow my lead. It’s hard being a younger person and having someone who is much more experienced, elderly, high ranked position in the organization to listen to you and have them follow the correct procedures. To meet the organization’s goal, you and your team need to have the same vision, and sometimes it is hard to keep the team together, especially with a diverse team. It was also hard when you had some team members want to take a vacation at the same time. During that time, if you approve the vacation of one personnel, the other person would get upset. It was hard for fresh and younger employees to follow the lead and enforce policies and procedures.

The most important challenge I have faced is making people believe their worth. You see, they have potential, and you try to motivate them to go over and above, but they won’t trust that they have that potential. They will not trust you if you try to make them understand they can do it. They find excuses for how it won’t work compared to finding ways to make it work. Most people don’t try as hard as they would like to succeed.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I currently work for a Defense and Security Company in Mesa, Arizona. I specialize in Industrial, Communications, and Physical Security. I have vast experience in Management, Leadership, and Customer Services. I am well known for my communications and for being there when needed. I am also known to motivate people and give them different perspectives on achieving or setting up goals. I share my personal experiences and also other people’s experience, which help someone make better decisions for themselves. If you feel down, and if you will call or message me, I will always be there to hear you and lift you. I am a good listener and do not judge people. I believe that we all come from different life journeys and carry different burdens, so instead of judging, I like to hear their stories and make them feel that they are not alone. I give all credit to the team when we receive compliments, and when we receive complaints, I take responsibility, learn from it, and search for ways to ensure we do not repeat the same mistakes.

I am a Membership Committee Chair for the Valley of the Sun Chapter of a security organization named NCMS, Inc. – The Society of Industrial Security Professionals. I am proud that in everything I do, my God and my family always support me and be there for me. I don’t make decisions based on emotions but rather give a good amount of time to think it over. I never try to look others down because they do not have the knowledge or share the beliefs that I have. I treat everyone equally and will go over and beyond to help them find solutions to their questions/problems. Whether you make minimum wage or are a millionaire, you are the same as me, and I will give you undivided respect. I don’t crave credit/recognition but want to help others know their potential and would always be happy to be part of their successful journey.

Is something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I strongly believe in Christianity and follow the principles of the Bible. I am not perfect and will never be perfect, but when someone says something wrong about me behind my back, I do not go and confront them; instead, I go home and think about how I can improve myself, so I do not make think like that and ask God for wisdom. Each night, I recall what I did right and what I did wrong, which has helped me improve myself in many ways.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopher.r.macwan/