Gary Naylor is our passionate player-coach Field Crew Chief, who is equal parts pavement pro and doggo-whisperer. He is based in Central Florida, where you can find him cruising around on his golf cart to a soundtrack of Poison and Motley Crue on the weekends.

Let’s get to know him better!

What do you think is the most important skill that a successful professional should have?

Definitely leadership. Using personal skills to coach and develop others. Peers respect and trust strong leaders. Being a good problem solver is essential. Having good problem-solving skills saves an organization time and resources. Most important is effective communication with the entire team. As I say in our weekly operator meetings: “Plan, plan, plan, communicate, communicate, communicate!”

What do you love most about your job?

I love to teach. This is actually my second career. I spent 32 years in management with the United States Post Office as a Postmaster. I brought along to ICC/IMS a lot of management experience. I love to onboard new hires and show them the ropes. I feel like new employees need to know everything about ICC/IMS, not just their job at hand. It’s important that they know the history of this company and the future of this company. As a Field Crew Chief with ICC/IMS, I want to teach how to be the best at what this company does. I love the company culture and the goal-oriented leadership we have.  ICC/IMS has an open-door policy which I believe is crucial to any company. I love the versatility of being able to do a variety of tasks.

Do you follow any sports teams?

Absolutely. I was born and raised in Ohio, so I am a huge Ohio State Buckeye fan. I love to go out on a Saturday afternoon wearing my Buckeye gear to cheer them on. Another passion of mine here lately is my golf cart. I live in a retirement community in Central Florida, so traveling by golf cart is the way to go. Where I live there are over 100 miles of golf cart paths to take you just about anywhere.  Come to think of it, I believe that ICC/IMS should survey the 100 miles of paths!

What type of music do you like?

I am a hair band junkie. I love the 80’s hairbands, i.e. Bon Jovi, Poison, Motley Crue, Skid Row and bands like them. There’s something about a good guitar riff that just makes you want to dance, play the air guitar, throw in the deep drums, and BOOM. Yeah, man!

How have you impacted our team’s success?

I think I’ve been a good mentor. I care about my mentees and I’m willing to go above and beyond to help them achieve success.  I’m a good listener and make conversations enthusiastic. I want to share my knowledge and expertise.  I’m known to give honest and constructive feedback. I work on building trust and encouraging my team. I believe I have a good character that is confident and compassionate.

How has your role evolved since you joined the ICC/IMS team?

I started out as an operator in Field Services, delivering good quality collection data for our customers. I knew that customers come first and if we didn’t give them good quality, then they might not be back. I’ve worked hard with my crews to make sure everyone is trained properly and that they too are giving our customers quality work. After years of a management background, I took on a leadership role early on with ICC/IMS. After becoming a Field Crew Chief, I knew my responsibilities were going to increase and I welcomed them with open arms. I give a lot of my own time and am passionate about motivating and inspiring others on the team.

How do you like to structure your day?

As I said before, I try to “plan, plan, plan, communicate, communicate, communicate”! I believe in setting priorities for the next day. While on the road, I spend countless hours looking over maps and shape files for the next two days. I look at weather reports and plan accordingly. I review my progress throughout the day and stay focused. I try to identify distractions and keep a to-do list. I learned a long time ago that time management is important. Time is money and either you’re making it or losing it. I think the biggest thing is to divide tasks into small manageable chunks.

How do you typically approach problem solving? For me, defining the problem first is key. I then try to understand the root cause of the problem. I believe developing an immediate plan of action is best and then I execute that plan to the best of my ability. We have a great companywide team here at ICC/IMS and I believe in reaching out to different members of the team to get their feel on the issues at hand. Once the problem is resolved, I believe in documenting the issues and evaluating the results.

What would your spirit animal be and why?

A lion because lions symbolize strength, courage, and leadership. The lion is a powerful creature that represents the qualities of a confident, bold, and assertive leader. With the lion as my spirit animal, I feel it enables me to be brave and face my fears head-on, and to become the best version of me.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Passionate – I believe I have ruled my life with intense emotion. I love life and I love my work. I put passionate feelings into both my life and work daily.

Hardworking – I’m so committed to giving my all at work. I want ICC/IMS to succeed, and I want to succeed with it. I believe in being diligent at work and having the energy and commitment it takes.

Resourceful – I believe in looking beyond the circle in the square. I try to find clever ways to overcome harder tasks. I believe in working smarter, not harder.

– | Better Data, Better Decisions, Better Roads!