{"id":66867,"date":"2025-10-30T14:44:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T21:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=66867"},"modified":"2025-10-30T14:44:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T21:44:03","slug":"aligned-values-set-documation-difference-maker-hayden-free-on-professional-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2025\/10\/aligned-values-set-documation-difference-maker-hayden-free-on-professional-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Aligned Values Set DOCUmation Difference Maker Hayden Free on Professional Path"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Hayden Free<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For better or for worse, a company\u2019s corporate culture is often created and shaped by the attitudes, mores and actions of leadership that are observed by their charges, a.k.a. the team members. This is why many office technology dealers that value their reputation within the market are focused on constructive, repeatable interactions that reflect positively upon the organization and its clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consistency is key. When asked one day why he always plays so hard, baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio observed, \u201cBecause there might have been somebody in the stands today who’d never seen my play before and might never see me again.\u201d It only takes one moment to solidify an impression, and for Hayden Free, that came early in his career with San Antonio-based DOCUmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOCUmation is among those companies that encourage autonomy, particularly whenever a team member makes a decision in the best interests of its clients. But what really captured Free\u2019s attention one day was when an employee\u2019s best interests were placed above those of the dealership. That DiMaggio moment convinced Free that he was in the right place professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation was handled by putting the employees\u2019 interests as top priority without a second thought. That moment confirmed that I was part of something rare\u2014an organization where doing the right thing isn\u2019t optional,\u201d said Free, a 2025 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker. \u201cIt laid the groundwork for how I approach my team every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A graduate of Abilene Christian University (ACU) in 2016, Free jumped on the opportunity to serve as an intern with DOCUmation beginning in 2015. The opportunity was something of a mystery, and the only guidelines he set was to not have a desk job that involved crunching numbers or pushing papers. Free longed to be interacting with people and developing a better understanding of the cadence of real business. Fortunately, DOCUmation checked off those boxes. By the time he completed the internship, it was clear the dealership valued people as much as profit, perhaps even more so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Free had found his professional home, and it would serve him well in providing for his growing family. They were, and remain, his ultimate motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEarly in my career, I heard a saying that stuck with me: \u2018If you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, any road will get you there,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI know exactly where I\u2019m going, and that\u2019s building a life for my family. They\u2019re the reason I keep my foot on the gas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vice president of DOCUmation\u2019s West Texas branch, Free appreciates how the Midland operation grew from a single technician to an established regional office. He saw it as validation of the idea that when you remain above reproach in all areas and work hard, success will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But the man with his foot on the accelerator is more driven to double down than to bask in glory. Territorial expansion sits atop the priority list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m fueled by competition and the drive to keep expanding our footprint and earning the West Texas marketplace and then pushing into the Panhandle,\u201d he added. \u201cContinued growth will come from investing in young talent, maintaining high standards of service and developing the next generation of leaders who share that same drive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the home front, Free and his wife, Chandler, met at ACU and were married in 2016. The couple have a three-year-old son and are expecting a daughter in the near future. Family activities dominate his docket, but he also enjoys traveling and hunting (\u201cI\u2019m an avid upland bird hunter and will take any excuse to be outside,\u201d he added). Free also loves vacationing in the mountains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For better or for worse, a company\u2019s corporate culture is often created and shaped by the attitudes, mores and actions of leadership that are observed by their charges, a.k.a. the team members. This is why many office technology dealers that value their reputation within the market are focused on constructive, repeatable interactions that reflect positively upon the organization and its clients. Consistency is key. When asked one day why he always plays so hard, baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio observed, \u201cBecause there might have been somebody in the stands today who’d never seen my play before and might never see me again.\u201d It only takes one moment to solidify an impression, and for Hayden Free, that came early in his career with San Antonio-based DOCUmation. DOCUmation is among those companies that encourage autonomy, particularly whenever a team member makes a decision in the best interests of its clients. But what really captured Free\u2019s attention one day was when an employee\u2019s best interests were placed above those of the dealership. That DiMaggio moment convinced Free that he was in the right place professionally. \u201cThe situation was handled by putting the employees\u2019 interests as top priority without a second thought. That moment confirmed that I was part of something rare\u2014an organization where doing the right thing isn\u2019t optional,\u201d said Free, a 2025 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cIt laid the groundwork for how I approach my team every day.\u201d A graduate of Abilene Christian University (ACU) in 2016, Free jumped on the opportunity to serve as an intern with DOCUmation beginning in 2015. The opportunity was something of a mystery, and the only guidelines he set was to not have a desk job that involved crunching numbers or pushing papers. Free longed to be interacting with people and developing a better understanding of the cadence of real business. Fortunately, DOCUmation checked off those boxes. By the time he completed the internship, it was clear the dealership valued people as much as profit, perhaps even more so. Free had found his professional home, and it would serve him well in providing for his growing family. They were, and remain, his ultimate motivation. \u201cEarly in my career, I heard a saying that stuck with me: \u2018If you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, any road will get you there,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI know exactly where I\u2019m going, and that\u2019s building a life for my family. They\u2019re the reason I keep my foot on the gas.\u201d The vice president of DOCUmation\u2019s West Texas branch, Free appreciates how the Midland operation grew from a single technician to an established regional office. He saw it as validation of the idea that when you remain above reproach in all areas and work hard, success will follow. But the man with his foot on the accelerator is more driven to double down than to bask in glory. Territorial expansion sits atop the priority list. \u201cI\u2019m fueled by competition and the drive to keep expanding our footprint and earning the West Texas marketplace and then pushing into the Panhandle,\u201d he added. \u201cContinued growth will come from investing in young talent, maintaining high standards of service and developing the next generation of leaders who share that same drive.\u201d On the home front, Free and his wife, Chandler, met at ACU and were married in 2016. The couple have a three-year-old son and are expecting a daughter in the near future. Family activities dominate his docket, but he also enjoys traveling and hunting (\u201cI\u2019m an avid upland bird hunter and will take any excuse to be outside,\u201d he added). Free also loves vacationing in the mountains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":64640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,84,1638],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66867"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66867"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66870,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66867\/revisions\/66870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}