For the past 19 years, or 7,019 days, there has been at least one constant at UT Health San Antonio: work control coordinator Mike Hamilton has been on the job.
Nineteen years ago, Hamilton started his career at UT Health San Antonio as a night janitor, cleaning buildings and setting up facilities. A move to the day shift and a handful of promotions later, Hamilton now leads the crews responsible for moving, event set up, coordinating pest control services and many other tasks under the umbrella of Facilities Management.
How does one show up for work every day for 19 years without fail? Hamilton cites his personal mission: “Take care of the customers and get the job done.” He lives out that mission daily. With the exception of scheduled holidays and planned vacation time, he has never missed a day of work.
Hamilton’s crew works to support every single department and team at UT Health San Antonio. He said he and his team are always “trying to do whatever is needed to help everyone else get their jobs done. Everyone has got a part to do.” It takes everyone, he added, to fulfill the university’s overarching mission to make lives better.
As a team leader, Hamilton stresses personal responsibility. “Do your job but try to learn other things,” he tells his staff. “Don’t limit yourself to just what you’re doing. That’s one thing I don’t tolerate–the ‘that’s not my job’ mentality. If everyone shows up and does the job, that’s how you win.”
Hamilton summed up his time at UT Health San Antonio with one short sentence: “A lot of hard work.” When asked if all that hard work was worth it, he responded with a simple, emphatic, “Yes.”