Leading with Happy Employees & Customers

Leadership is a difficult task today and vastly different than it was over 25 years ago at the beginning of Misty Wise’s career. The Executive Director of South Carolina 811 challenges her team to collaboratively step up and own the ideas and skills they bring to the table. Every team member, from the Customer Service Representative to the upper-level leadership, is essential for Misty. “They each play a pivotal role in the services provided to our stakeholders. As a leader, I also believe that growing our team's skills and abilities is my job,” she says. “Our goal is to take them through succession planning that helps them identify their own niche and sets them up for success when the right job is available. The employees feel valued and, because of the growth, and in turn stay with our company to continue to develop their skills.”

Misty has spent much of her career growing leaders and processes that maximize her company's ability to adapt to changes quickly and efficiently. All while simultaneously improving culture and customer value. “I believe nothing good comes from "doing things the way we have always done them." Success with your technology tools is an evolution of constant improvement and striving to advance. It's a simple theory containing one fundamental element, ‘listening’.” Her advice for people who lead from an Executive Director or Chief Executive Officer role is that having diverse prowess is vital. “At a minimum, you need to know a little about a lot to make educated decisions on the fly. It's also important to lean on your team and know who your go-to players are. Ensure those folks aren't afraid to tell you what you need to hear. Having a solid culture of open communication will keep you from pitfalls that could be avoided.” For Misty, creating a culture that blends consistent change is not easy. It takes employees who engage and advocate for the same driving force and belief in the mission. Those culture shifts make happy employees and, in turn, satisfied customers.

One of Misty’s most significant life lessons is to accept the good with the bad and take it as a growth opportunity. She believes everything happens for a reason. Life's most complex challenges typically involve the most growth and transformation. “As a woman working in a male-dominated environment, I think its essential to be confident about what you know and humble about what you don't. Be willing to learn, and don't be afraid to accept help from leadership, peers, and subordinates,” explains the steadfast leader. “It is ok to be guarded, but don't let it interfere with your receptiveness to learning and support. I have also seen female leaders take on way more than they should to prove themselves. I am guilty of this myself. Recognize the apple cart theory before it happens. You could be doing yourself more harm than good. Burning yourself out to prove a point only hurts you in the end. Lastly, know your value, or no one else will.”

Misty has been taking the company to new heights with these brilliant leadership qualities. South Carolina 811 is the call-or-click-before-you-dig center for the state. They are a non-profit agency funded by utility companies and are governed by state statute. They have a Board of Directors (https://sc811.com/) of 24 members representing various groups designated in the South Carolina Underground Facility Damage Prevention Act §58-36-50. If there is digging anywhere in South Carolina, it is the law that people contact 811 before digging.

“It is a free service that could save you costly damages, fines, or even your life,” says Misty. “Our mission at South Carolina 811 is to be the innovative communication resource for damage prevention of underground infrastructure, dedicated to the education, success, and safety of our stakeholders and the public.” This concept is woven into the company's culture, goals, and achievements. Their role is to support everyone involved in the call or click-before-you-dig process in South Carolina. This includes homeowners, professional excavators, and member operators.

“Keeping people safe is our top priority! We continue to strive toward our vision of being the industry leaders in groundbreaking infrastructure protection, and call or click before you dig awareness,” elucidates Misty. “For the road ahead, we want to continue enhancing the user experience with our technical tools and improvements to our current law that help address roadblocks in damage prevention. We never stop striving to reduce damage and improve the process for the people who utilize our service. We want to continue to make it easier and more effective.”