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29 November/December 2017 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN The more you keep striving to improve, the more expertise you gain. Hear your coworkers' stories and advice for sharpening these skills below. IMPROVEMENT AND EXPERTISE AT DAVEY All year, we've used this space to pause and reflect on what drives us. At Davey, our company values are what unites us – from Napa to Naples, from Houston to Calgary. These beliefs and characteristics are what make Davey Davey. Thus far, we've examined integrity, safety, leadership and resolve. To cap off the year, we're talking with two employees who embody our remaining core values, improvement and expertise. ABOVE THE CANOPY "I never met a true expert because the more you learn, the more you learn you don't know," he said. "Every day, I learn on the job. To me, expertise means having competence, which is a mix of education and experience. It's understand- ing your limits, so you know when to reach out for help. It also helps if you set yourself apart by developing a specialty. "To be an expert, keep learning," Fields Johnson said. "Immerse yourself and read for an hour a day on the topic. To begin, you'll find a tremendous amount of resources on the Davey Institute Online and our Learning Management System. Also, study and learn from people who are really good at what they do. Find a mentor, ask questions, be teachable and soak up what they share and do. "We have people who have been doing their jobs a long time, so you can learn from the best," he said. "Connect with someone who's excellent at customer service, climbing or diagnostics. At the Institute, we're always here to help. "Send a sample to our lab," he said. "Most clients don't know about this service. When you deliver a diagnostic report and a work proposal, it shows we have confirmed a problem and provided a science-based solution. Actions like these prove our expertise and set us apart." "I interviewed for Davey right out of high school when I had no license, no experience," Drewes said. "I didn't get hired, but I made a good impression. A year later, I figured things out a bit and made the time to get my license and first-aid certification. I called again, and this time, I got the job. That's what improvement is about. "It's thinking, 'How can I be better?' every single day," Drewes said. "You always need to keep an open mind and keep looking for better ways. You don't let your habits define you. You don't get stuck in a rut. You keep striving to be the best you possibly can be. "Never be satisfied," he said. "Because once you hit the top, there's nowhere to go but down. But if you keep thinking you can do this task or this job better, then it's like you're always climbing – which at Davey is a good thing. "There's no secret or quick fix to improvement," Drewes said. "It takes time and patience. But if you always strive to keep doing better, you'll reap the benefits. Constant improvement makes you stand out. It's not commonplace. "Your manager will notice. Your clients absolutely notice, and they have their choice of who to hire," he said. "That's what they'll think about when choosing Davey again." Chris Fields Johnson on Expertise Technical advisor, the Davey Institute Gainesville, Virginia Dan Drewes on Improvement Supervisor, Fortis Alberta, Utility services Edmonton, Alberta Looking to improve your expertise? We're here to help you grow! If you need help navigating the vast resources on our Learning Management System (LMS), contact Shawn Skilton at ext. 8369. For questions about sending in a diagnostic sample, call ext. 8417. Chris Fields Johnson Dan Drewes

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