In this week's Meet the Team installment, we'll meet Dan Feehan, Vault Workforce Screening's Chief Operating Officer. We sat down with Dan and learned more about how he works to keep Vault running smoothly on the Operations side, as well as his leadership style.
Hi Dan, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Can you tell our readers a little about yourself and your background?
As Vault’s Chief Operating Officer, my job is to make sure the operations, processes, and policies of the business run as smoothly as possible and to the standard that we and our customers expect, always striving to improve. I came to Vault after time spent first as an Army officer that deployed in combat, as a middle school teacher, as a policymaker in the Pentagon, and as someone who ran for public office. The through line of my career has been people-centered leadership. Employment screening must be people centered, and I love the chance to bring that mentality to work every day.
How did you find yourself at Vault?
I joined Vault after learning about their COVID-19 testing program, which was partnered with my home state of Minnesota. As someone with experience in large scale operations planning and pandemic response through the military and the Pentagon, joining Vault was a great opportunity to make as big an impact as possible in getting COVID-19 tests and vaccines the final mile to the people that needed them the most around the country.
What do you like most about Vault?
I’ve had the chance to work in many varied areas at Vault, all with the consistent theme of solving complex challenges that deliver an improved patient and customer experience. There is a spirit of teamwork and satisfaction when we can help a company make their workplace safe and a donor’s journey as seamless as possible.
You’ve guided Vault through so much in your time at Vault. Any secrets to successfully affecting change in an organization? What is your leadership philosophy?
My leadership philosophy is “people first,” whether that means the people you work with or the people your work impacts. Change happens sometimes when you plan it and sometimes when its unplanned, but guiding an organization through it requires you to first invest people in it through a vision in which they can see themselves. With that investment, the change will gain its own momentum. This isn’t a secret in and of itself, but rather a reminder that people must come first and there’s no shortcut around that in leadership.
Has remote work changed the employee or client experience? How have you adapted to the change as a leader?
For us as employees, remote work changes the nature of where we work, but not our body of work. We must be more intentional with our time, especially time together because the standards of what our clients expect don’t change. The client experience remains the focus, and remote work enables Vault to better serve our customers nationwide and around the clock.
What is your best advice for someone managing an employment screening program?
Start with the customer and view them as the patient, a patient going through a transition or challenging time in their life in which you are critical to the best possible experience. All systems and products should center on that experience and make it as seamless and painless as possible, including the experience of our own employees at Vault doing the work.
Ok, we’ve talked a lot about work. What do you like to do outside of work?
I love running, watching sports, and above all else, spending time with my family.
