Adam Rothschild knows how to help

Adam Rothschild was six years old when he saw a Gregory Hines tap-dancing routine on television. “I loved the rhythm Hines could produce from his movements,” Rothschild said.

After taking tap-dancing lessons for 12 years, Rothschild was part of a duo that nabbed second place at a national high school tap-dancing competition. “Tap dancing appealed to me because I enjoyed breaking up a full routine into little components and steps that you can explain and teach,” Rothschild said. “I’ve applied that to my current role supporting Virtual Contracting Enterprise (VCE) users. I break up a process into little steps that enable users to get from one point to the other. There is skill in understanding that process so well that you can look outside those steps to see where something in them is wrong.”

Rothschild helps streamline the Army contracting process by designing VCE requirements and training the acquisition workforce how to reap the benefits of paperless contract files and other digital tools. He carefully cultivates relationships with his customers to understand their pain points and improve the user experience.

Always ready to tackle a new challenge, Rothschild volunteered to support the rollout of a PEO EIS stakeholder management solution. His attention to detail and dedication to improving the user experience earned him a Defense Integrated Business Systems’ star-of-the-quarter award and deep appreciation from users.

A New Jersey native, Rothschild earned a bachelor’s degree in child development from Tufts University. Today’s #PEOEISTeammateTuesday, Rothschild answered questions about his career and life.

Name one thing you can't do without in a day.
Coffee.

Did any teachers inspire you to pursue a career in education?
Absolutely. Before becoming an attorney, my father was a math teacher. My mother was a teacher and librarian. I always enjoyed the learning process — going from step one to step 10 and accomplishing something at the end of it. I enjoy explaining the process. That’s very satisfying to me.

What attracted you to the computer science field?
I took a few computer courses in college but never really got deep into it. When I graduated from college, I was working as a teaching assistant and planned to become a teacher. But I decided to enroll in a class to obtain a computer-networking certificate. I’ve always been interested in developing a technical expertise to help people get the most out of their computer.

What did you do before joining PEO EIS?
I worked for Fujifilm providing technical support over the phone to drug store employees operating Fujifilm photo machines. I remember being on the phone with customers. I would have a machine at my desk and be on the floor with the phone in my hand trying to describe where they needed to look for paper jams. To me, that was the only way to really be able to describe things.

My customers used a lot of equipment. Chemicals were involved. I started at Fujifilm supporting the help desk and became a trainer for all of the new help desk employees. I started my training understanding that my students had never used the equipment.

Some of my emails are described as verbose because I like to provide more than just the information needed to resolve an issue. I want a user to understand how it works, so the next time it happens, they know why it happened and how to fix it.

Why have you been successful in your career?
My attention to detail and ability to put myself in someone else's shoes help me explain a process from another person’s perspective. It’s very easy to forget that perspective when you are an expert.

What's the key to being a good tap dancer?
You have to be aware of your surroundings and body at all times. It’s a lot of the feet and the rhythm, but it takes more than that to create a full routine. It takes a lot of discipline and memory to lace the different moves together. And you have to be in sync with other people. Those skills also come into play in your work life.

Do you have any book recommendations?
“Flatland” was written in 1884 from the perspective of a person who lives in a two-dimensional world where everything is flat. It’s a satire about the British class system, but it’s also about math.

In Flatland’s class system, the more angles you have, the higher your social status. You may start out as a triangle and move up into a square. A circle is the highest class, but if you have a penny and put it on its side, it looks like a flat line.

What's the best advice you received?
You have to be willing to give things a try even when faced with challenges and obstacles. You have to persist.

What advice do you want to share with PEO EIS employees?
It’s okay to walk away from a training without becoming an expert. To learn something well and become more than just an amateur requires dedicated effort.

What is your proudest moment?
The birth of my child.

What are you for?
I am for quality and compassion.

What do you consider the most valuable virtue?
Honesty.

How would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as someone who is considerate, funny and warmhearted.