What does our value “create and sustain a safe and healthy life” mean to you? Living safe and healthy means��everything to me. Safety is not����ܲ�����following procedures or taking steps in a safety program. For me, safety is part of my culture and a way of life. I’m committed to safety for myself and also promote safety to both my work group and my family. The daily goal is to make sure that everyone in my circle returns home to their family and friends in the same��condition as they left them.��

One of our safety principles is that employees must be trained to safely perform all assigned tasks and accountable for applying these skills on the job. How do you demonstrate that in your daily work? Every day I work alongside people who are well-trained and highly skilled in their craft. While we attend mandatory training sessions on safety, we also make sure we keep our skills sharp in other ways. We hold monthly safety meetings and take computer-based learning assignments. And we hold daily start up meetings to discuss safety topics and issues that affect our work. I also visit crews in the field to see them in action and coach them, if needed. All these activities help me promote safety and mitigate potential issues that could cause an accident for me and my co-workers.

What safety behavior do you use most often in your daily tasks? The safety behavior I use every day is thinking through every situation before making a move. I try to work every job, start to finish, in my head before setting up to do anything. I look at the work that’s required with the conditions of the job site and surrounding environments to determine the safest way to proceed. Thinking about every step before I take any action helps me stay safe.

What is the best safety-related advice you have ever been given? When I was an apprentice, a mentor lineman told me “you can’t be afraid of this work, but you have to respect it.” He was saying that the work we do is very hazardous. And that I needed to learn my craft and use those skills to safely perform my job every day. That’s stuck with me and served me well.

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What’s your Power Principle at work? Providing excellent customer service to not only customers on the Northshore, but to 13 mayors/municipalities, 12 commercial and industrial customers, four chambers, two parish presidents with councils, two school districts, and builders. I also enjoy promoting Entergy Louisiana’s core values within our communities, while ensuring we give back to agencies that are the community engines that keep us afloat.

What motivates you to work safely? I focus on returning home to my family at the end of the day and back to my co-workers the next. My husband of almost 42 years and I have two married sons, three granddaughters and three grandsons who we joyfully visit often. I want my co-workers to experience that same joy with their families. And safety is the key role in making it possible for us to do this.

How do you balance work and family? While I’m always ready to tackle any challenge at work, I focus on my family during my time away from the office and use those days off wisely. My family fuels my work with a good attitude, and my work fuels my family with gratitude.

What is the best work-related advice you’ve been given? Your customers are the ones who pay your salary, so treat them with respect. And tell them that you appreciate them by showing accountability.

What is your proudest moment with Entergy? My proudest moment at Entergy is when I was offered my current position in 2012, a job that I desired. It’s a job where you must get into the hearts of our customers and community leaders by making a positive difference in their lives, communities, schools and businesses. As a customer service representative, you are the face of Entergy, whether you are resolving an issue or request for a customer, chamber, small-town, mid-city mayor, school superintendent or a low-income customer.

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What does our value of living a safe and healthy life mean to you?�� For me, safe and healthy living means to be mindful of my mental and my physical health. It embodies not only taking care of my physical health but also maintaining peace of mind.

How does our safety principle emphasizing off the job safety as an important part of overall safety efforts motivate you to work safely? My job takes me to customers’ homes and businesses every day. This principle motivates me to be aware and pay close attention to what I’m doing no matter where I am. It’s a great reminder to keep my head where my hands are and with what I am doing, in the yard or in the house. I also look out for those around me to make sure I’m being safe with my friends and family, especially my sons Landen and Londen. At home and at work, the activity around me is perpetually changing. Always being aware of my surroundings keeps my head on a swivel so I can watch out for potentially dangerous situations.

What is your proudest safety moment at Entergy Mississippi? I was part of our storm restoration response team that went to Florida after Hurricane Irma. Our team worked safely and efficiently to restore power in several areas. We met so many residents who were suffering and even though we had a tough job to do, we had empathy for them. They knew we were human and had families just like them – and that we had to do our jobs safely. The traffic was dreadful and because we were very careful, we had no accidents within our group.

Above, Courtney with her colleague, Rod Thomas, during Hurricane Irma restoration efforts.

What do you want others to know about Entergy? Entergy is a wonderful, family-oriented company that takes safety matters seriously. Supervisors make sure we get the safety training we need and holds employees accountable for safety. Safety is just part of who we are.

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What’s your title? Customer service representative, Entergy Texas.

How long have you been with Entergy? 29 years.

What’s your power principle at work? Putting more energy into brainstorming multiple ways of finding solutions rather than focusing on multiple problems.

What motivates you to live and work safely? My family motivates me to live and work safely. First, as a husband and father of three sons and now the grandfather of two beautiful granddaughters, my health and safety are very important. I still have a lot of living to do.

How do you balance work and family? When I am at work, I give it my all. However, when I am with my family, it is critically important that they have my full and undivided attention.

What safety practices did you learn in the military that transfers into your personal and work life? During my primary role on my last ship, I was the damage control assistant, and in that role, I was responsible for the ship’s firefighting and repairs. As such, we practiced firefighting drills every day while in port so that if or when the real activity happened, it was second nature how to address it. Part of that training was to leave nothing to chance. That helps me today whether I am problem solving at work or addressing any potential safety issues while playing with my very active granddaughters.��

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What is your power principle at work? Be the best you can be. I also like to work hard and play hard.

What motivates you to live and work safely? My family motivates me to live and work safely, and that includes my husband, Gabe, dad, two sisters, one brother and of course, my dog and cat.

How do you balance work and family? It’s very hard to not let my mind drift to work. However, when I’m hanging with family or friends, I focus on what we’re doing so we can enjoy it to the maximum.

What’s your role at Entergy? I supervise various operator rounds and surveillance tests, allow scheduled work to occur, tour the plant and try to make a difference.

What is the best work-related advice you have ever been given? Take one thing, a step at a time. My job can be overwhelming at times, but I just prioritize and make sure to follow up.

What is your proudest moment at Entergy? My proudest moment at Entergy was becoming a licensed operator. Initial license school was 18 months long and was by far the hardest I’ve ever worked.

When did you first learn about Entergy? My dad worked at Indian Point for almost 30 years. After I worked in the plastic injection molding industry for a few years as an assembly machine design engineer, I became interested in working in operations as a nuclear plant operator.

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What’s your power principle at work? My power principle is to ensure we maintain a team environment and to always act with integrity. My dad taught me to put forth my best efforts in order to succeed. Today, the only way we can succeed is to have a hard working team that understands integrity.

What motivates you to live and work safely? Not only do I want to work safe for me, but my wife and son are counting on me to come home every day as good as or better than the way I left that morning.

How do you balance work and family? It’s not easy, but having a strong family is critical in the workplace today. My wife and son understand the demands of my job and are very supportive. We take every opportunity to spend time together and enjoy the outdoors with family and friends.

What is the best work-related advice you have ever been given? Listen to others. I have learned so much in my career by listening to the feedback and ideas of my co-workers. Listening to and understanding the diverse perspectives of others will create stronger team performance.

What do you want others to know about Entergy? Entergy is a very rewarding company. As with most careers today, the demands are high, but we try to maintain a family environment and help one another at every opportunity.

What is your proudest moment at Entergy? I’m just proud to be a part of the Hinds Team. It’s one of the hardest working, close-knit teams I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.

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Related article: Hinds Celebrates Five Years as an Entergy Mississippi Generating Plant

As an 11-year Entergy employee, Shelton works hard to make sure he and his co-workers make it home safely to their families every day.

Communication from all levels of employees is the key to working safely, from the newest employee to the most senior.

“You can always learn from anybody,” Shelton said. “The best advice usually comes from the person you least expect it.”

Shelton powers life��for��our customers, employees, communities and owners. We salute him for working safely for Entergy and for his family – wife, Christy, daughters Camryn and Natalie and son Wells.

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What’s your power principle at work? Our work environment should be one where everyone enjoys coming to work. It should be a place where everyone is proud to be part of a great team that accomplishes meaningful work. I want my teammates to know I value them and their contributions, and I hope they feel the same about me. The trust we have in each other helps us make a difference for the communities we serve.

What motivates you to live and work safely? My family, friends and co-workers inspire me to live and work safely every day. I genuinely want each one of us to enjoy a long and healthy life. That’s why I strive to be accident and injury free at work and home every day.

What’s the best work-related advice you’ve ever been given? Treat others the way you would want to be treated. I encountered that from my first experience with Entergy. In 1984, I was a Mississippi State University student hoping to find a job before I graduated. I interviewed with several companies. Some of them flew candidates to their headquarters via commercial airlines or corporate jets; that was quite impressive to a college student. I was more impressed with Entergy Mississippi, which was then Mississippi Power & Light. They were interested in getting to know me without a display of grand gestures. The company picked us up in a van and drove us to Jackson, Mississippi for interviews. The people I met along the way were kind, smart and down-to-earth.�� I was fortunate to receive offers from several of those companies, and I accepted with MP&L. I guess a van is more my style. I’m not even certain that van had air conditioning, but I do know I’ve never regretted my decision. Entergy is a great company made up of great people.

What’s been your favorite project at work? Tackling challenging issues is one of my favorite things about being an engineer. I enjoy collaborating with my teammates to find solutions for those challenges. It’s rewarding to know that the work we do helps deliver more reliable power to our customers.

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What’s your power principle at work? I have two: first, lead from behind – there are just as many development opportunities to help your team and still be a leader without having to be at the forefront. If you can understand how the magic is created, then that gives you credibility when you are at the front. Second, leading is meaningless without employee engagement – if all employees are not engaged, then you’re not really leading; you’re making change happen to them rather than allowing them to be a part of the change.

What motivates you to live and work safely? I work safely for my family and my teammates equally. If I work safely, then that contributes to my teammates going home safely to their families as well.

What is the best work-related advice you have ever been given? Treat every task like a job interview. Regardless of how small or big the task is, I give my best effort for everything I do.

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Pictured: Megan with her parents, Mariano and Letha Pidlaoan.

What’s your power principle at work? A Thomas Edison quote I learned early in my career and live by is “opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” My power principle is hard work, is the foundation of success.�� In my own experience, hard work, above all else has enabled noteworthy achievements in my military career, civilian profession and family life. As Thomas Edison explained, hard work leads to opportunities.������������

What motivates you to live and work safely? I have had the privilege of working in public safety as a SWAT officer, firefighter and emergency medical professional in my previous career. Throughout that time, I found myself with people experiencing some of the worst days of their lives, and at times, the last day. Those experiences remind me each day how quickly things can go wrong. My primary goal is to go home each day to my family and friends, so I approach every situation with this goal in mind.

How do you balance work and family? Planning and prioritization. My wife and I both have work, volunteer and family commitments which overlap on a weekly basis. As a team, we share the load on managing our kids’ active itineraries and make sure we always include some opportunities for fun. The quantity of time we spend at work is weighted against the quality of time we spend together as a family. We always ensure we have time together, such as, eating dinner together, taking care of our cows or our weekly family movie night.��

Simply, what do you do at Entergy? I work in the Incident Response organization, which works to prepare for, respond to and recover from critical disruptions to company operations. My primary duties include managing logistics preparation in support of thousands of restoration workers following a major storm, reviewing processes, contracts and training personnel to ensure we are ready.

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Pictured Above: James with his wife Natalie, vice president coordinator at River Bend Station.