Letter on the Sixth — June 2023
Dear Datamax Family,
Today is the 79th anniversary of D-day, the event when Allied forces launched a naval, air, and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. It wasn’t just a pivotal mission for World War II. It was the ultimate act of bravery, strategy, and perhaps most importantly, camaraderie.
Camaraderie is the catalyst for what’s been called a “Mission Multiplier.” You may have read the title of this month’s Rave Review and wondered, “What’s that exactly?” “Mission Multiplier” means that when we have camaraderie, we are instilled with the drive to perform to the utmost of our abilities for the benefit of each other, our unit, and our mission. Our ability to succeed literally multiplies. I believe that camaraderie exists when we have the same goals, a unified mission, and a shared belief in what we are collectively working towards every day. If you don’t engage in our mission of Creating Raving Fans® and believe in one another, camaraderie falters.
Camaraderie is the lifeblood of a Team.
It starts with sales. It continues with preparing equipment, delivering it, our connectivity team setting it up, and then carries on through service and administration. It’s having confidence that every person is doing his or her part. The principle here is not unlike the soldiers on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, having the utmost faith that those both in front of them and behind them were doing what was expected. That’s camaraderie.
Camaraderie creates office synergy.
Division to division, office to office, department to department, and person to person. It’s about breaking down walls and learning how we can be better. Feedback is a critical part of this: Certainly in the survey that goes out for “Best Places to Work,” or even in an exit interview if someone decides to leave us… those are both opportunities to ask ourselves “How can we make this better?” “What did we do right, and how did we fail?” When employees aren’t afraid to voice their opinions, that’s when we grow. That’s when camaraderie expands.
Camaraderie begs selflessness.
We’re all guilty of thinking we exist in our own work “bubble.” We don’t. Our mission, after all, is so much more than just one person. When individuals look beyond their own specific interests, the goals we have in place become that much more palpable. When individuals truly care about both the outcome and the people working alongside them, camaraderie is inevitable.
Camaraderie inspires gratitude.
Our Little Rock office will host a Retirement Party for VP of Operations Greg Kirtman on June 30, after his 45 years of service to Datamax. When I came to Little Rock in June 1985, I knew I needed somebody whom I could trust and feel completely confident with on the operations side. Greg was the first person I thought of, and by December of that year, he was with us here in Little Rock. He helped build this company to where it is today, and he's also continuously kept me in tune with the operational side of the business and helped us be the best we could be. I want to wish him nothing but the best in the years ahead and graciously thank him for his service to not only myself, but to Datamax. He will be missed.
When you look around your office, are you seeing beyond your space and supporting your fellow coworker when necessary? Per the Little Blue Book, are you determined to come together, stay together, and work together? To Never (Ever) Give Up? Camaraderie, I’d argue, is a key ingredient for Creating Raving Fans.® It’s our Mission Multiplier.
The Best is Yet to Be.
