A brief email, you might say, could be worth a thousand words.

DFW Service Manager Shawn Hay’s 6:19 PM email to his team was somewhat routine for him. A recap of the day’s progress, along with some instructions for the following day: John Granger’s parts are at the designated drop. Hayden’s reminded to get the paperwork outside of a part box signed and turned back in. Etc., etc.

However, there’s a second email that drops at 9:36 p.m. that same evening. This, from supervisor Curtis Whitlock to Vice President of service Steve Kennemer (coming in at only 32 words), read like this: “Just wanted to let you know that Shawn is a great manager and overall great person. Not sure if he has been recognized for his efforts recently, but he does great work!”

And it’s so, so true.

Who remains positive when things get tough? Shawn Hay does. After some changes within the management team last year, Shawn has done an outstanding job of stepping up and taking the full leadership role and responsibilities within the service department. This Canon USA Master Level Technician doesn’t have a bad word to say about his circumstances and doesn’t miss a beat in leading his team. He’s positive, upbeat, and maybe even a little “aww shucks” in his approach. Whatever the case, In our estimation, Shawn remains the ultimate “heysayer.” “Hey, keep your head up.” “Hey, we can do this.” In fact, he represents Datamax Little Blue Book Principle #5 in fine fashion.

To prove our hypothesis, we reached out (albeit secretly) to a few of his coworkers. Here’s what they had to say.

Kimberly Warren

Dispatcher - Dallas/Fort Worth Office

I would say that he’s very laid back and calm and collected. Even when I know he’s stressed out and 50 people are calling and wanting to ask him questions, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him react negatively. He’s an excellent boss to work for! I’m sure he gets tired of me asking him 500 questions a day, but he always answers with a smile.

Tim Williams

Technician - Dallas/Fort Worth Office

I've given him a million and one problems, and he never gets overwhelmed. He never wears his feelings on his sleeve… Shawn is consistently positive. (When an issue arises), he’s always got some type of suggestion, some type of outside-the-box idea that I wouldn’t have thought about. I’ve never had Shawn tell me ‘that can’t be done.’ He’s got the ‘we’ll figure this out’ attitude and mindset. That’s what you need as a leader.

Quandre McCoy

Service Supervisor - Dallas/Fort Worth Office

I tell him every day, “I don’t know how you do it.”

Every time I get frustrated, I think about him and realize that I don’t have any room to get frustrated. My workload is definitely not as big as his. It makes me swallow through the little stuff because he encourages me to keep moving.

The key thing to me is the fact that his workload is really big. Somehow, you would never know that. Even if he is frustrated, he hides it. He does his best to continue to provide for others and help his team, so the team doesn’t feel a void. He keeps everything in perspective, that’s what keeps the team positive and still moving along.

Corey Huey

Shop Technician - Dallas/Fort Worth Office

Shawn has displayed an unselfish work ethic at Datamax. He is being pulled in a hundred directions and he never turns anyone down. He has gone above and beyond to resolve issues from clients to techs to sales reps to admin. The depth of his commitment to the job is unmatched!

Steve Kennemer

Vice President of Service - Dallas/Fort Worth Office

Shawn has done an amazing job over the past six months. Thanks to the great sales periods that we've had, the workload has been very large for our department. If we have people working late until 7 or 8, Shawn is staying there with them. If they're setting up equipment, he's taking the trash out or unboxing machines alongside them. If they need parts, he's delivering them to the drop location for them.

If I give Shawn a duty, no matter how busy he is, it's "yes sir I'll get that done." And he gets it accomplished. He's the glue that's keeping the DFW service department working together as a team. Shawn has stepped up to the challenges and the responsibilities that I have delegated to him without hesitation, and has earned my respect and trust.

No Naysayers.

A brief email, you might say, could be worth a thousand words.

Kimberly Warren

Tim Williams

Quandre McCoy

Corey Huey

Steve Kennemer

The Master Heysayer: Shawn Hay Among Elite Canon Company