Making a Difference: Servant Leadership in Action

Written by Nicole Lowe, Public Safety Telecommunication Supervisor, Carrollton Police Department



As we all know, servant leaders are found throughout an organization. They are not all at the top of the hierarchy. Nicole Lowe, a dispatcher for the Carrollton Police Department is a great example of a servant leader who positively impacts the people she works with as well as the rest of the police department and the Carrollton community.




Imagine yourself in a fire and police telecommunications center. Telephones constantly ringing, fire fighters and police officers demanding your attention on the radios, and monitoring three or four computer displays at once. Oh, and by the way, one minor misstep or miscommunication could cost a life! With all of this communication going on, you could imagine that communicating between telecommunication shifts or with other organizational departments would be an afterthought. We thought differently, however, and decided that a newsletter could be a perfect communication tool not only to communicate between shifts, but to our external stakeholders. Everyone wonders about the people behind the double blue doors. Who are we? Why did we choose to be a dispatcher? What is a day in the life of a dispatcher like? I decided we were about to show them.



I borrowed the newsletter idea from a co-worker that was a part-time employee at the time. I just so happened to observe her putting the finishing touches on the newsletter for the other company where she was employed. After asking her a few questions, I decided we needed a newsletter. At the time the newsletter was created, overtime was an everyday occurrence. Everyone came to work knowing they would have to work 12 hours. Other city employees would always express their gratitude and how sorry they felt for us. At first, I was glad to hear appreciation and concern from other city employees, and then I realized they thought we were overworked and didn’t enjoy our jobs.



I quickly sent the management team an e-mail asking them if they were okay with me creating a departmental newsletter. After I got the green light, I began soliciting feedback, ideas, and help from my co-workers. Since I borrowed the idea from Michelle, I asked her questions every chance I could get. She would always give me good tips and advice. The first newsletter was put together in 2 weeks. I remember Dustie and me working hard to come up with material for it. Michelle and I worked on the design part. To be honest, I think everyone helped me get the first newsletter out.

I think everyone was excited about our first newsletter.  I received a lot of positive feedback and helpful tips from my co-workers.  Since there had been a lot of projects that had been started and then stopped, everyone was waiting to see how long the newsletter would last.  I had already made up my mind that it was here to stay and I was willing to put in all the work.  I tried to make sure that I took the good and bad criticism in stride.  I didn’t want anything negative associated with our newsletter. I was always excited when I learned something new and when I sent the newsletter out every month. I began to see how “team” spirit grows.



That was three-and-a-half years ago. Now, 40 issues later, we have received two awards and had a lot of fun. I even spoke at a


professional conference to share how we use our newsletter to keep everyone in on what’s going on, build a caring, high-trust community and both model and teach servant leadership. By listening for questions and unmet needs we have been able to have some fun giving our leaders a voice in our newsletter and helping to turn problems into opportunity.

The CPD Newsletter staff

Tamara Perez, Rashahn Chatwin, Lori Ponder, Nicole Lowe & Cheryl Bramlett