County Mgr. David Headley

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Dawson County employees recently participated in a program called “Stop the Bleed,” an initiative funded by the Georgia Trauma Commission and developed as a result of the increasing number of active shooter and mass casualty events across the nation.

Emergency Services Director Lanier Swafford and his team completed the training at local schools along with county law enforcement. October marked the kick off for the training, which was conducted during a routine senior staff meeting.

EMS Director Lanier Swafford

In the press release, Dawson County Manager David Headley pointed out that employee training often is viewed as optional rather than essential and an expense rather than an investment.

“This is understandable since training and development are not necessarily focused on producing a targeted result,” Headley said. “Without immediate measureable results, it is nearly impossible to view training as anything more than an expense.”

But county leadership views training as a capital investment – taking into consideration what is an acceptable rate of return on the investment made by citizens. Among the questions leaders ask before undertaking a new training initiative is: What is going to change in the organization or in the behavior and performance of employees as a result, and how will it better serve the citizenry?

“One saved life or one preserved limb due to hands-on Stop the Bleed training can make a difference beyond measureable results,” Headley said.

Successful training and development programs nearly always include a component that addresses employee attitude.

“That is why, in conjunction with initiatives like Stop the Bleed, we attempt to always ask a fundamental question: What attitude did you bring to work or the task at hand? Our senior staff answered this very question during a recent training session. Attitude is the indispensable ingredient to success in our organization. A positive attitude is not an option but, rather, mandatory; and we make an effort to build on this key point regularly,” Headley added.

Headley, who recently had his contract with the county renewed for another year, said,  “Since I have been appointed county manager, one of my primary goals has been to create an environment that employees and citizens alike would want to promote. In other words – brand building. Our training is targeted for specific results that can be measured. Our employees are our principle asset, and we make every effort to invest in them so they can expertly serve our citizens. Moving ahead with programs and workshops – such as Stop the Bleed and the upcoming Community Connections Workshop on Nov. 9 (to which the public is invited) – will play a continued role in how we better serve our community.”