EP 4: Empowering Employees: Leadership Lessons in Parking with Don Charley

In this episode, we sat down with Don Charley, the Assistant Vice President of Parking Service Line for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Hospital Division. We discuss various topics including thriving in an ever-changing environment, managing diverse parking customers in a healthcare setting, and the importance of personalizing parking while protecting privacy in a digital world. Don shares his experiences and insights as a leader, emphasizing the importance of listening to employees and empowering them to excel in their respective areas of expertise. The episode also features customer service representatives Cierra and Ryan, who discuss their challenges and experiences in assisting motorists in parking garages.

Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:

• Leadership and Trust Building: Don's journey from a security officer to an administrator is a testament to his leadership skills. His secret? Listening to his employees, understanding their needs, and taking immediate action. His approach to leadership is about empowering his team and building trust.
• Security Canines - The Unsung Heroes: Don shares the fascinating story of implementing a K-9 program for hospital security. These "Olympic athletes" of dogs, trained to respond only to their handler's voice, have become an integral part of the hospital's security system.
• The Human Side of Parking: Our customer service representatives, Cierra and Ryan, share their experiences of assisting motorists in parking garages. Their stories highlight the importance of patience, understanding, and the ability to troubleshoot in real-time.

Don Charley’s journey is a testament to the importance of leadership, trust, and understanding in managing a diverse group of parking customers in a healthcare setting. His story is a reminder that success is not just about expertise in a specific field, but also about empowering your team and allowing them to excel in their respective areas of expertise.

Be sure to check out these great clips from the show:

Making parking personal when protecting privacy in a digital world is the highest priority [00:01:21] Don talks about the importance of maintaining privacy in a digital world while providing personalized parking services to customers.

Creating Trust and Transparency [00:11:19] Don discusses how he built trust and transparency with the housekeeping staff by listening to their frustrations and needs.

Managing without Being an Expert [00:16:17] Don shares his management approach of listening to talented employees and allowing them to do their job, even if he is not an expert in their field.

Playing in the gray [00:30:11] Insight into Don’s approach of navigating the gray areas and adapting to a matrix organization structure in healthcare parking management.

The phrase "Parking is more than two white lines on pavement" [00:32:37] Don Charley shares one of the phrases he is famous for, highlighting the importance of parking beyond the physical markings.

The phrase "Either win or we learn" [00:33:04] Don mentions another phrase he is known for, emphasizing the value of learning from experiences and challenges.

Managing the competing and disparate elements of institutional parking [00:35:05] Don Charley discusses the difficulties of managing institutional parking, including dealing with various constituent groups and equitable resource allocation.

Building a Canine Program [00:43:51] Don discusses the process of building a canine program from the ground up, including hiring a master trainer and acquiring high-quality police dogs.

Challenges in Relocating Valet Service [00:45:41] Don talks about the challenges faced in relocating the valet service from the main door of Presby Hospital to the Presby Garage, and how they overcame those challenges.

Hardest Things About the CSR Job [00:48:45] Cierra and Ryan discuss the hardest aspects of their job, including troubleshooting and dealing with a high volume of calls, as well as adjusting to different customer emotions.

Equipment issues in the garage [00:56:24] A conversation about the problems with malfunctioning parking stations and the difficulties in resolving them.

Translation tools and improving customer service [00:58:01] The importance of having translation capabilities in garages and the impact it can have on reducing stress for bilingual customer service representatives.

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Connect with Parker Technology.

While delivering an excellent customer experience is indeed harder than it looks, we’re the experts. It’s all we do, every day, and we’re darn good at it. If you’d like to learn more about how we make managing the parking experience look easy, visit our website at www.parkertechnology.com, or shoot a note to getstarted@parkertechnology.com.