At Paladin Security, we believe employee development and career ownership are the best ways to create a strong team. Through our promotion-from-within philosophy, employees can plot their career paths within our organization, lending stability to our workforce. In our feature, Paladin Then & Now, we showcase some amazing and inspirational stories of our employees rising through the ranks. This week, we’re featuring Client Service Manager, Natalia Russ.
Leading with a “Direct with Fairness” Style
Natalia Russ has been with Paladin Security for 13 years, growing from a front-line Security Officer into her role as a Client Service Manager. She started working at a site with security programs and security access control systems where it was integral that she built a long-term relationship with the client and Property Management, which gave her the means to grow into a Contract Manager position. Natalia was often at the forefront of handling client and employee conversations in her Contract Manager position. Her “direct with fairness” style of interacting with employees and clients allowed her to create strong working relationships and handle difficult conversations in a way that people understood and respected. Her transition into a Client Service Manager appeared effortless, taking on more responsibilities with additional clients and employees under her oversight.
How Natalia is Making an Impact
Natalia has had an enormous impact on her site portfolio, initially focused on commercial and residential tower properties but now also growing retail mall properties. Her success comes from her ability to articulate clearly and respectfully with clients about Paladin’s services and overcoming challenges with consistent communication. Her defined action plans let clients see she is focused on the security program’s success. Natalia also works closely with her security team to make sure they understand the expectations and responsibilities of the tasks at hand, addressing any concerns they have in a clear and timely manner. Her mobile nature of being in touch with all her sites, whether by phone, virtual meeting, or in-person, drives the success of her security programs, often seeing the results first-hand from her team.
Her communication style opens an honest channel that lets her hear from clients about the challenges they are facing, share best practices, and help create plans that boost her team's success. It is the combination of the relationship with her clients and the guidance she provides to her team that make a positive impact in all aspects of Natalia’s work.
The Road to Success
The success of the security programs that Natalia Russ leads have a lot to do with her attention to detail and her communication consistency with clients.
Natalia ensures accuracy in every report, allowing clients to fully understand what is taking place and how her team is providing support. This also leads to proactive responses and action plans that improve the security programs. Her regularly scheduled meetings and after-action reviews are critical to keeping the client and Paladin engaged in a nurturing and empowering relationship.
At the same time, Natalia provides direction and support to her front-line team by acknowledging the work that they do, talking about incidents that are taking place at the site, and preparing them for potential changes that might impact the work that they do. This constant connection makes her a strong link between the client and the security team.
With several sites all within close proximity, Natalia knows what is going on in the community, what efforts are providing a positive impact, and what can be more effective. This lets her lean on the best practices from growing sites and create action plans to push positive outcomes. She is always looking for ways to improve her leadership and instill The Paladin Difference.
Thank you, Natalia, for your example and success! We are immensely proud to see you grow with The Paladin Family.
If you were inspired by Natalia’s story and are interested in starting a meaningful career in security, check out our careers page for all our opportunities within Paladin. Click here to build and download your ideal Security Guard resume. We would love to see you grow with The Paladin Family and take your career to the next level.