Chris Scully | Dell

Give us your full name.  

Christopher Shawn Scully

Share the kind of work you do. 

I am the Co-Site Leader and Campus Facility Manager for Dell/EMC in Oklahoma City.

How did you come to do this type of work? 

I came to Dell 11 years ago after 12 years at Intel. I was a Sr Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist and over time took over the facilities operations teams and was appointed Co-Site Leader in 2011.

Can you share the risk in pursuing doing the work you love? 

You may have to take a step back sometimes to align to the work you love. You may have to relocate. You may even have to fail but learn from it and then keep moving forward. 

Tell us a few things you have to be consistent in to do your best work.  

Time management, learn where you need to focus and what you must release.  Skills development - proactively find ways to practice, learn and develop. 

What do you do to keep learning how to do your work better? 

Seek out mentorship - from multiple individuals with different experiences and skillsets. Practice - don’t wait until the game starts, prepare for the future. 

Who are the right people for you to surround yourself with in order to be successful?  

People who are encouraging, optimistic and people centered. People that understand that jobs change, roles change, priorities change routinely and easily - but values and beliefs are much more important and consistent.

How do you go about planning for a project or your day? 

I am a fan of the old school white board.  I find that writing out steps, deliverables, dates, actions etc on a big whiteboard with other people who are involved in the project helps paint a mental picture that is hard to beat with our new project mapping tools.  

How do you measure your progress? 

Depends on the effort.  Hard data is valuable and has its place in decision making and progress tracking; however, I also gauge the “subjective”.  Feelings, perception and cause/effect should not be ignored and often drive the final measure of success.

What's been one of your favorite moments doing the work you do?  

I love the moments when an effort I am part of or leading brings an emotional positive impact to people. Whether that is charitable efforts, promotion or development.

When working on a project, what tools do you use for communicating with your team and/or clients? 

Email and project specific software like Sharepoint.

Do you have a project or product that you want to highlight today? 

Multiple building specific build-out projects and major maintenance projects including a campus wide 48 hour power shutdown which is a major event for our 24/7 operations.

Tell us what you have discovered in life that you can share with up and comers who want to do the work they love?  

Leadership, influence and impact does not come from titles and money. It comes from relationships, service and kindness.

What advice would you give to your 16 year old self? 

Save more, speak up and push yourself harder.

What book are you reading right now? 

I am not reading any book at the moment other than morning devotional plans via the Bible app.  I think I am on my 7th week long plan this year.

Who are some people you admire in your line of work or other entrepreneurs? 

Michael Dell is inspirational as a leader and visionary and a completely approachable and likeable person.

Where can people find you online? 

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Share the last good movie you watched? 

I re-watched Lincoln last week and continue to be amazed at the man and the story of the 13th Amendment. I am fascinated by historical stories.

Which of your friends or family members probably tells the best stories about you?  

Probably my mom, she remembers everything and is a great storyteller from a long line of storytellers.

What's been your favorite travel destination? 

Ireland.

Have any good music you're listening to at the moment you would like to share with us? 

I love a lot of different kinds of music. Lately I jump around Pandora from classic country to 80s pop.

Last question - what do you want the world to remember you for?  

Kindness, good friendship, approachable leadership and a person of faith.