this issue

Honor Our Military P.1 Collaboration in Leadership P.2

Welcome P.3 Organizational Excellence P.4

Quotes & Sign Language p.5

August-September 2011

MedEx Headquarters staff honors B. Lafield for his military service.

Honor Our Military

Let’s honor our military, The men and women who serve, Whose dedication to our country

Does not falter, halt or swerve.

Let’s respect them for their courage; They’re ready to do what’s right

To keep America safe, So we can sleep better at night.

Let’s support and defend our soldiers, Whose hardships are brutal and cruel,

Whose discipline we can’t imagine, Who follow each order and rule.

Here’s to those who choose to be warriors

And their helpers good and true; They’re fighting for American values;

They’re fighting for me and you.

By Joanna Fuchs

"My heroes are those who risk

their lives every day to protect

our world and make it a better

place--police, firefighters, and

members of our armed

forces."

Sidney Sheldon

Honor to all EMS heroes also

The leadership model developed by L. Michael Hall Ph.D. is a

detailed and measurable model of leadership consisting of seven

criteria based on studies of successful leaders.

This article will explain the fifth of these criteria, Collaboration,

in detail and describe specific steps you can implement to

improve your own leadership.

What is Collaboration?

Collaboration is a process where two or more people or organi-

zations work together towards achievement of common goals. A

collaborative leader understands the importance of supporting other members of the team.

As a team player, we are able to shift from focusing on ourselves leaders and instead concentrate on partici-

pating as part of the team for the benefit of all.

Key Questions for Collaborative Leadership

The following key questions will help you to apply this criteria in practice to become a great leader.

Are you a team player? Do others describe you as a team player?

Collaborating with others means cooperating and operating as a team player. If your team sees you as being

an active and supportive member of the team and relevant community they will be more willing to respect

and support you in return. Conversely, if you are seen as remote and disconnected then it will be difficult to

build trust and to ask for individuals to perform at their peak.

Do you operate from a sense of abundance?

Individuals who see themselves as being in competition - for resources, money, status, praise - will have diffi-

culty letting go of control and allowing others to step up. If you have a robust and healthy sense of self-worth

and actively work towards creating win-win outcomes you will more easily operate in a collaborative and sup-

portive manner.

How much flexibility do you have in shifting your focus to follower?

One significant challenge for many leaders is that they have become so used to leading that it can be difficult

to step back and support others. The term "followership" has been coined to describe someone's ability to

effectively follow the lead of others and collaborative leadership implies the ability of a leader to also act as a

follower, enabling team members to lead in their areas of expertise and on their individual assignments.

Being a Collaborative Leader

Great leaders build high performance teams by creating a culture of equality and inspiring each individual to

work well with others.

How collaborative are you as a leader?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5311246

Collaboration in Leadership By Chris Young

K. Shell (L-Ft Polk Manager)

J. Wynn (R-Sabine Parish Supervisor)

Larry Ray was born in Temple, TX. and graduated from high school in Killeen, TX. He and his wife Angela have been married for 21 years. They have an 18 year old son and a 14 year old daughter. Larry has been a volunteer firefighter and first responder since 1994. He is the assistant chief with Grant Parish Fire District 6. He obtained EMT-Basic license with MedExpress in 1998 and went on to get Emergency Medical Dispatcher certification. He also works as the Assistant manager in the Incident Command Center and is currently studying to obtain Ham Radio Operator Technicians certification.

Mandy Bray was born in Hammond, In. and moved to Louisiana when she was 16 years old. She graduated from High School in Montgomery, La. Mandy holds an Associate's Degree in General Studies from Northwestern State University. She worked as assistant manager for 5 years at Chevron while she attended college. She then became the Manager of Pizza Hut for one year. Mandy attended the EMS Academy in 2006 and became a licensed EMT. Mandy and her husband have been married for 2 years and are foster parents.

Josh Blood was born in Alexandria, La. and graduated high school in Bayou Chicot in 1996. He has been married to his wife Heather for 8 years, and they have a 6 year old son, Nicholas. After 14 years as an executive in the retail and food service industry, he decided to fulfill his desire to have a career in EMS. He became an EMT-Basic in May 2011 and began working for Med Express immediately. He will begin the Med Express Associates Degree of Applied Sciences, EMT-Paramedic class at Louisiana College in January 2012 Heather McLemore was born in Tioga, La. She has been married to her husband David for one year. She graduated from Grant High School in 1996. She earned her EMT-Basic in 1999. Heather has worked on a unit as an EMT-Basic and as dispatch supervisor. She has also worked as a phlebotomist for Lifeshare Blood Center.

Dannie Martin was born and raised in Avoyelles Parish and graduated from Avoyelles High School. He became an EMT in 2000 while working for MedExpress as a dispatcher. Dannie has also worked in the Emergency Department at Cabrini Hospital and at Paragon Casino as an EMT. He is presently attending the Med Express Associates Degree of Applied Sciences, EMT-Paramedic class.

Welcome New Management Staff

-Grant Parish Supervisor- Hazel Murray was born on November 13, 1960 . She grew up in a small community in Catahoula Parish with ten siblings. Hazel has worked in the Health Care field for more than 25 years . Two of her five children also work in Health Care. She enjoys sports and activities that include her family and grandchildren. -Sabine Parish Supervisor- John Wynn was born in Shreveport, and graduated high school in Florien, La. He has been married to his wife Tonya for 20 years, and has an 18 year old son and a 10 year old daughter. He has been employed with Natchitoches Fire Department since April of 1996 where he now holds the rank of Captain/EMT-Paramedic. He has also been employed with Natchitoches Regional Medical Center since July of 2001. He became an EMT-Paramedic in 2006. -Director of Education- Anita M. Lindsay was born in Long Beach, Ca. and graduated from high school in San Diego, Ca. She served in the US Army for four years. Anita has two grown daughters and one granddaughter. She became a paramedic in 1995 in El Paso, TX. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services, (Psychology and Social Work Combined) and a Master of Arts degree in Education.

Med Comm

Shift Leaders

H. Murray

Grant Parish Supervisor

Maxwell's primary thesis in this book is that there is no such thing as business ethics - there's only ethics. And that it is

important to understand that "ethics is never a business issue or a social issue or a political issue. It is a personal

issue." Therefore, he suggests that in business decisions, just as in our personal life, there is only one rule for making

decisions: the Golden Rule. And since the Golden Rule begins with each of us, we need to ask ourselves the question

"How would I like to be treated in this situation?"

How we answer is based on things all human beings

have in common:

1. We want to be valued.

2. We want to be appreciated.

3. We want to be trusted.

4. We want to be respected.

5. We want to be understood.

6. We do not want others to take advantage of us.

Maxwell recommends that we adopt the Golden Rule

as the basis for our ethics because:

1. It is accepted by most people and can be used to

create common ground with any reasonable person.

2. It is easy to understand.

3. It is a win-win philosophy.

4. It is a compass when you need direction.

With the Golden Rule as our guide, he feels that we

can make ethical decisions on a much more con-

sistent basis.

Maxwell reviews a number of well-known breaches of

ethics at companies such as at Enron, Adelphia, Tyco, and

WorldCom, and laments the depths to which ethics have

seemingly fallen in business. He contends that when faced

with an ethical dilemma (an undesirable or unpleasant

choice relating to a moral principle or practice) that people

make unethical choices for one of three reasons:

1. We do what's most convenient: giving ourselves permis-

sion to cut corners.

2. We do what we must to win: many people think they

must choose between being ethical and winning.

3. We rationalize our choices with relativism: deciding

what is "right "at the moment, according to our circum-

stances.

Again, with the Golden Rule as our guide, fewer unethical

choices would be made.

To pursue the opportunities available to those who live

their life unfailingly ethically, Maxwell recommends that

you:

1. Take responsibility for your actions

2. Develop personal discipline

3. Know your weaknesses

4. Align your priorities with your values

5. Admit wrongdoing quickly and ask forgiveness

6. Take extra care with finances

7. Put your family ahead of your work

8. Place high value on people.

Organizational Excellence : Book Summary: "There’s No Such Thing as "Business" Ethics"

by John C. Maxwell

”History is a better guide than good

intentions.”

Jeane Kirkpatrick

”Quality is never an accident; it is

always the result of high intention,

sincere effort, intelligent direction

and skillful execution; it represents

the wise choice of many

alternatives.”

William A. Foster

”Stop acting as if life is a

rehearsal. Live this day as if it were

your last. The past is over and gone.

The future is not

guaranteed.”

Wayne Dyer

7525 Highway 71 South

Alexandria, LA 71302

800-259-9771

www.medexpress.net

Quotes: Intention

”It is not good enough for

things to be planned - they

still have to be done; for

the intention to become a

reality, energy has to be

launched

Deaf employee at MedEx Headquarters Office, R. Jones,

teaches Sign Language Class to office staff weekly.