In what is either an act of vengeance or a show of respect, several of Chad Zemer’s employees have nominated him for this go-round of “A Day in the Life.”  Chad is the Manager for the DIT Field Services Central Team, a job he says he is proud to have.

Chad doesn’t necessarily have a “normal” day in his job, but his general duties include monitoring remedy, communicating with local client managers and directors to make sure they are satisfied and working on a variety of special projects.  Because he oversees a field staff, Chad spends a lot of time on the road.  The Central Region covers an area bounded by Ionia in the southwest and Standish in the northeast.  He puts about 1500 miles per month on his car!

Remote management is a bit different than working in Lansing.  Chad says it’s a little more difficult to manage a staff that is spread out geographically, but he has a great staff full of self-starters.  The best way to manage remotely, he says, is to avoid micromanaging.  Not only does micromanagement “drive him crazy,” Chad says, but there’s simply too much to do so he prefers to let his employees take the lead.  Because he has a talented, trustworthy staff, Chad knows everything will get done.  There are currently 13 people on the Central Team (down from 16), and they each cover an area within the region.  Chad tries to limit the one-way drive to service calls to an hour, but sometimes it can stretch a little longer.  The team works with 19 different agencies, the largest being Corrections.

Another important part of Chad’s job is to monitor and encourage employee teambuilding and improve morale.  To do this, the Central Team meets once a month to celebrate their successes.  Chad prepares an agenda for the staff meeting – to make sure the time spent is worthwhile – and then the team will do something fun like bowling or having a barbeque.  The team really looks forward to these monthly meetings as a way to see each other and keep abreast of new issues facing Field Services.

Chad says the best part about his job is his team.  He is truly proud of his staff and loves working with them.  The biggest challenge he faces in his job is breaking through what he calls “organizational silos.”  “Sometimes the DIT bureaucracy can make it tough to get things done,” Chad noted.

Having been with the state for 15 years, Chad has worked in a variety of departments.  He started with the Senate as a co-op student in high school, and went on to work in the Governor’s Office, the Department of Environmental Quality and now DIT.

Away from work, Chad is a huge Michigan State fan.  He recently went to St. Louis to watch the men’s basketball team in the Final Four.  Go Green!

Thank you for sharing a day in your life, Chad! Your staff thanks you, too!