Brad Russell was barely into his first cup of coffee when the phone rang. It was 6:45 a.m. on a Sunday last November, and he thought something was terribly wrong.
The person on the other end of the line was VP of Strategic Technology, Justin Huffaker. Justin reassured Brad all was well, and in fact, wanted to loop back to a conversation the pair had had a year prior… one that involved Brad moving into management.
“We talked for a good 45 minutes about a position that was coming open. We talked about goals, strategies, as well as the mentorship, guidance, and direction I would need to be successful,” Brad recalls.
It was a bit of mixed emotion for Brad, when he learned that his mentor Jim Sutton would be moving on. But the opportunities that lay ahead in a somewhat hybrid sales/service management role were too exciting to pass up. In his new position, Brad will not only lead the TSG service Team but also play an active role in customer accounts, leading Partnership Reviews and fostering business relationships.
The spotlight turned on, and Brad stepped into it with a sense of excitement and hesitation.
It was a shift from what he had done, however it required a great deal of additional skills that he needed to learn, albeit, with unique sense of humility for both his team and his organization.
“I have a lot to learn about client relationship management. I have got to learn to listen more and talk less. I absolutely accepted this position because I wanted the team and any newcomers to see that it is absolutely possible to move up in this company,” Brad said. “You’re not hired into a dead-end position. I am living proof of this. They’re willing to trust. Willing to Train.”
Brad Welcomed the Spotlight.
Brad grew up in a farming community about 10 miles outside of Trumann, ARK. The closest pavement was two miles away. Growing up, he developed an “unhealthy habit” of taking things apart and putting them back together again (ask him about his Mom’s new food processor on Christmas morning!).
But it was 10th grade when the light turned on. What was essentially a computerized word processing class, Brad’s love affair with technology was born. His senior year of high school he took a computer programming class, graduated and earned a scholarship to Arkansas State University, where he double-majored in computer science and math, with a minor in electrical engineering.
After college, he landed a job with a government agency in Little Rock, where he met his mentor and recently-departed IT Manager Jim Sutton. There he learned networking technology and expanded his repertoire tremendously.
Eventually, of course, he accepted a position at Datamax. All the leadership, guidance and training he’s picked up over the years has come to this point.
“I am at the point where I have the opportunity to pay that forward. I get to instill that idea to each person here that I can absolutely do it, and I will do that and more, because I am a member of this team.” And then Brad pauses briefly.
“I am only as good as the team that I am entrusted with, and by God I’ve got a great one.
Brad Shares the Spotlight.
Brad’s quick to point out – he’s not a boss. A boss directs. A leader inspires. He’s also careful to note that in his title, Technology Service Delivery Manager, ‘service delivery’ is still smack dab in the middle.
“We deliver white-glove managed technology services. I am literally tasked with guaranteeing that we deliver on the service that we promise. If we do not, I get to be the person to have that outreach conversation with the client. ‘Tell me what happened.’ ‘How did we get here?’ and ‘Let’s understand what we need to do to get you where you need to be.’”
In that spirit, he rattles off deep admiration and respect for each of his team members.
There’s Sam McCumpsey, who handles the Little Rock TSG phone support desk. He’s the most tenured member of the team at 11 years.
"He is the calming voice that people get by default when they call the helpdesk. And I’ll tell you… Sam is here most every morning, between 6:30-6:45am. He almost never walks away from that desk. He is very much the hub of this team. Clients have come to recognize his voice when he calls them, or they call us," Brad said.
"They’ve also come to respect his guidance and direction. They feel a deeply rooted trust when working with him, because of how long that he has taken care of them. Team members also recognize that he has decades of experience to draw from when making recommendations or offering advice. I can’t put a price on that. It’s invaluable."
There’s Jeremy Sullivan, who just celebrated his five-year anniversary with Datamax. Jeremy is one of the two resident CommCare experts.
“He blew through all the CommCare system training, he’s got the knowledge, technical maturity; he is one of those you can give more difficult things to; just like Sam, I appreciate his expertise. Jeremy shares some of the onsite commitments and is currently cross-training another team member on several large accounts. He’s sharing the knowledge that he has developed to help ensure that our clients are well-cared for."
Evan White is next. He’s about to celebrate his 1-year anniversary with Datamax. He’s what Brad calls a one-touch learner. He just absorbs what you show him.
“He’s young, energetic, hard-working, and exemplifies that go get ‘em attitude. He has that ‘want to do it all, show me more mentality,’” Brad said. “I want an army of him.”
And finally, there’s his first hire since taking on a management role, Clarence Kellogg. Brad has been impressed with Clarence’s ability (judging by his technical assessment scores) but also his honesty and his desire to be a valuable member of the team.
Clarence hasn’t been on-board 2 months yet and is already generating “Raving Fans” based on email responses from clients. There are plans soon to have Clarence working out of the Datamax Hot Springs office, nearer to his home. He will be able to provide more ready access to clients in that area.
Brad Embraces the Spotlight.
Brad won’t tell you this unless you pry it out of him, but he owns the highest score ever for Datamax’s Technical Aptitude test. Of course, after he finally admits such, he shifts the conversation away from him and to how the assessment is a great tool for his team and himself to measure their aptitude and continuously improve. How it can bolster self-confidence.
In so many ways, the spotlight on Brad is welcomed and embraced. If not for his technical skillset, for his team-first attitude, his humility, and his willingness to pay it forward for everyone who reports to him.
“I’m all in. I’m sold out for this team…. I teach. I share what I know. I help others. It’s what I was taught to do.”
And he LOVES what he gets to do. Foster relationships, fix things, make people happy, and go home.