DONALD GILLESPIEManager, Area Field OperationsOntario, California | (760) 600-0812

Focusing on continuous improvement, Donald leads his team by learning from them while also teaching them. He continually updates and improves his business and leadership skills and then shares his experiences with his team through coaching conversations. He learns from his co-workers how to improve the operation together. Donald also assimilates what he has learned from his nine years as a technician and relates it to his team today. As a tech, he focused on taking care of the little things for customers and now teaches his staff to do the same so they will stand out in their customer service.

Donald’s business savvy is demonstrated as he manages the day-to-day operations at the Ontario, California, DIRECTV Home Services Field Operations site with 90 employees. He uses his analytical skills to search through data and find trends and patterns that help him quickly identify areas for improvement. He is also adept at ensuring the operation performs well financially.

“Getting the job done right the first time is always the most productive way to go.”

Donald has successfully directed two sites in Southern California for DIRECTV. He strives to achieve exceptional results, but not at the expense of the employees. When he began managing the Thousand Palms site, his goal was to turn around the operation’s financial performance while improving quality and customer service. Eighteen months later, he attained his financial goals and also increased employee productivity, developing his team with the skills he had acquired from his many diverse roles at DIRECTV. This group won the Site of the Year award in 2012 for the Southern California region’s small site division.

The following year Donald implemented CODE and CIMS for his employees, which added another level of quality for technicians. Their Net Promoter Scores dramatically improved during that timeframe, increasing from 76 to 86. He then transferred to the Ontario site as Area Field Operations Manager and was awarded Site of the Year in 2013 for the larger site division, continuing in his predecessor’s success and persisting in leading by learning.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Achieved the long-standing goal of

maintaining a Net Promoter Score over 90 at the Ontario Field Operations site, year over year

Improved the Employee Engagement Score at the Thousand Palms field site from a 76 when he started in 2012 to an 86 in 2013

Uses his expertise as a former Designated Systems Trainer to aid in the training of 100-plus candidates at the field sites, assisting in the classroom to develop his team

CAREER GROWTHManager, Area Field Operations, Ontario, California, DIRECTV

Manager, Area Field Operations, Thousand Palms, California, DIRECTV

Service Manager, Ontario, California, DIRECTV

Designated Systems Trainer, Riverside, California, DIRECTV

Field Supervisor, Riverside, California, DIRECTV

Field Technician, Riverside, California, DIRECTV

Owner/Operator, Inland Satellite

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONSSBCA Train the Trainer certification

WildBlue certification

Coaching and Leadership Essentials; Speed of Trust; Leading Change with Resilience; CODE; CIMS, DIRECTV