John Gron

Leading by Example: John Gron of Dell Makes a Difference in Oklahoma City

Take a look at John Gron’s calendar. Each week he volunteers somewhere in his community. In addition to his full-time job as a manager in Dell Services’ Enterprise Expert Center, John works with more than 13 organizations in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He lends his time and talents to a variety of causes and touches the lives of the young and the elderly and many in between.

Being part of Dell Global Community Involvement (GCI) team and chairing his site’s Green Team offers John the opportunity to contribute to the company and provide leadership on another level. He’s able to introduce and share projects that he’s passionate about with his direct reports, peers and senior leadership. And John believes such service—and compassion—makes him a better leader.

"Giving back to the community makes you feel. Working in your community not only makes you feel better, it makes you feel—feel alive, feel you have a purpose, feel you can make a difference in someone else’s life," says John.

How is John making a difference? Recently, for example, he and seven other Dell employees built a wheelchair ramp for a couple in their eighties who live in a small, impoverished community near the Dell™ Oklahoma site. He’s also building easels for the Boys and Girls Club’s new art facility. Through the Homeless Alliance organization’s Point in Time program, John has helped conduct a homeless census for the community to ensure it’s getting the appropriate government subsidies. In return, the homeless men, women and children will receive a pair of socks or gloves. As part of the census, he and other Dell employees asked the question, "How long have you been without a home?" The answers to such a simple question was eye-opening—hearing that someone has been without a home for years was a sobering reality. As an artist, John donated one of his paintings to help raise $43,000 for Positive Tomorrows, an organization supporting homeless children. These types of experiences inspire John to do more and give more to his community.

"Personally, I find that my time spent with these organizations makes me feel richer than any kind of monetary compensation I could receive," John said.

John and others doing similar work in their communities do make a positive difference in many people’s lives—both inside and outside the walls of Dell. Thank you, John, for leading by example.