Managers who communicate effectively gain stature and have a distinct advantage in maximizing results. By practicing a handful of techniques, you will emerge as a skilled communicator who can convey your thoughts with clarity and inspire employees to action.

Inherent Failure to Communicate

Managers should understand and accept the inherent limitations of human interaction. Eliminate any notion that directions clearly written or spoken by you should be readily understood and embraced by others as if they are robots being programmed. People on the receiving end are filtering words through their personalities, cultural affinities and value systems that define who they are. Multiply this by the number of people receiving the communication, and the likelihood of misunderstanding rises.

Awareness of this reality allows room for misunderstandings without bogging the communicator
down in feelings of inadequacy and frustration.

Regardless of how good you become at communicating, content will always be filtered and interpreted. But the following tools will help your message get across more clearly:

Develop substantial content. Managers should have an expanding repertoire of insights as well as knowledge that will help employees develop as individuals and as a team. Demonstrate empathy with others through stories and anecdotes that relate to the topic.

Be appropriate. Situations vary, so a canned approach will never be effective. Know the setting, the context and the audience. Getting this wrong can send mixed signals and create an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Avoid tools as crutches. Many tools could be discussed, but Microsoft Office’s PowerPoint has become so pervasive that it now generates laziness. If the message is best delivered in PowerPoint, e-mail it to recipients before the meeting. Convey your message without technological distraction.

Listen to learn. A healthy business narrative is not a monologue; it is a dynamic, colorful culture of people exchanging ideas, concerns, insights and experiences. Managers should listen intently and absorb as much as possible. Thus, managers who allow themselves to be schooled by their employees receive a priceless education.

My father used to say to me “no matter if you are flipping hamburgers at McDonald’s then you should be the best hamburger flipper you can be.” My father died ten years ago but I can still remember him telling me that. I don’t think I fully understood what he meant until a few years ago. No matter what we do in life we should always do our best. Doing your best shows respect for yourself and respect for others.

When we work for someone we are paid to come to work and give 100% of our best self each day. We all owe it to our employer to be the best employee we can be. After all they are providing us the means to meet our needs.

I have a passion for DSI because I see the same values my father instilled in me practiced on a daily basis. DSI strives to be the best security company choice for each and every one of our clients. We know that without our clients then DSI would not be here. We value our employees because they are the backbone of DSI. Our job at DSI is security but the corporate culture here takes that beyond just security. We want to be the best in our field and our motto DWYSYWD helps us achieve that.

The message I want to convey is that everyone should let their best self shine each day. Here at DSI doing your best does not go unnoticed. When our employees are doing their best then our clients are getting the topnotch service they expect from DSI.

Remember always be the best “you” you can be, no matter where life takes you. At DSI we operate on our motto, Do What You Say You Will Do, and we know that shows in the service we provide.

Sincerely,
Allison Love, PHR
HR Manager

Staying Current to Better Serve Our Customers!
Pictured L to R: Rich Hunter – Tampa Branch Manager, Boyd Clark – Director of Sales and Marketing, Dale Matthews – Regional Manager, Tommy Hayes – Jacksonville Branch Manager

5 – 9 Years of Service

• JOHNNIE JULIAN (9)
• ANDREW BARBER (9)
• DANNY THORNTON (9)
• JIMMIE HORNES (8)
• EDDIE HUNTER (8)
• DAWN TOLER (8)
• BARBARA BARNETT (8)
• BOBBY WELLS (7)
• MARCOS RUSSO (7)
• TODD TORNOW (7)
• NATHANIEL BURNETT (7)
• LEWIS EDWARDS (7)
• TERLISHER SLAUGHTER (7)
• KATHLEEN PARKINSON (7)
• ROBERT FRYER (7)
• TINA DILLARD (6)
• JERON STEEN (6)
• JORETTA WINGROVE (6)
• MILTON PALMER (6)
• OLUYEMISI IJALANA (6)
• CARSON MORRIS (5)
• PEACHES GRAY (5)
• GEORGE KING (5)
• QUIN DENTON (5)
• BARBARA FLEMING (5)
• ANGELERE AUGUSTIN (5)
• WALTER PORTER (5)
• BILLY YAWN (5)
• WALTER MONK (5)
• CONEL TARVER (5)
• CHINNETTA OGLESBY (5)

10 – 14 Years of Service

• GENE SANDERS (13)
• CHARLES MICHIELS (12)
• GLEN WILLIAMS (12)
• WILLIE RHODES (11)
• SYLWESTER MAKUSZEWSKI (11)
• JIM DELANEY (10)
• MARGIE WILLIAMS (10)
• ROBERT STONE (10)
• JEFFERY TAYLOR (10)
• KARL BRACK (10)
• GERALDINE QUARRELLA (10)

15 – 19 Years of Service

• GILBERTO VEGA (16)
• ROBERT RIGSBY (16)
• STEWART MURRELL (16)
• VITO VENEZIANO (16)
• SHIRLEY KEYES (15)

20+ Years of Service

• JIMMY LITTLEFIELD (20)

Goals of the Savannah Branch

• Have an injury free workplace and promote SAFETY
• Gain new customers
• Have the best trained and most knowledgeable officers
• Increase hours with our existing customers

• Park farther away in parking lots, or a couple blocks from your destination. On a bus or train, get off a stop early.
• Walk around the house while on the phone.
• Take a 10-20 minute walk each day after lunch.
• Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Get up and walk around during television commercial breaks.
• Plan activities around walking. Suggest taking a walk with a friend instead of your typical
  coffee meeting. Take your children, nieces or nephews to the zoo, museum or park.
• Walk while listening to a podcast or audio book – or your favorite music.
• Walk around the mall if the weather is bad. And leave your wallet at home to resist
  spending temptations!
• Find a walking buddy and hold each other accountable for scheduled walks.

Tallahassee – The Park at Midtown, Campus Walk Apartments, Gateway at Seminole Suite
Birmingham – FABCO, Arby’s, UPS Freight
Dothan – Panhandle Converter and Scrap Company, Enterprise State Community College
Albany – Sherwood Baptist Church
Montgomery – Wiregrass Construction, Foley Materials
Tampa – Ciminelli – Northside Square, Madison at Largo, Seminole Isle, Surf Style

• Turn off anything you’re not using – lights, computer, television, radio, etc.
• Unplug appliances and electronics.
• Swap out standard light bulbs for energy-efficient ones.
• In anticipation of winter, weatherize your home. Use caulk or a weather strip to seal any door or window that leaks air.
• Upgrade the insulation in your attic.
• Use the dishwasher, washer and dryer only for a full load.
• Encourage everyone in the house to take shorter showers.
• Regularly change the filter on your air conditioner.
• Repair leaky faucets immediately.
• Keep the thermostat under 70 degrees in winter (and a few degrees cooler than the outside temperature in summer).

NASCO
Marty Clark (DSI President), Alan Clark (DSI Chairman of the Board) and Eddie Sorrells attended the NASCO Industry Leaders’ Roundtable in New York on February 8 – 10, 2011.