Any organizational leader worth their salt wants to create a strong, positive, and desirable work culture with highly valuable team players. But how can leaders actually accomplish this when the financial industry is feeling the stinging slap of an unsettled labor market?
Two words: Employee Engagement
Your people fuel your passion. Engaging employees with both the credit union mission and your unique organizational mission has a ripple effect to retention, member satisfaction, and sales goals.
The tricky part of employee engagement is it’s ambiguous. (Read: hard to measure.) Your organization may have one way of measuring it and the one down the street will have their own set of metrics. Whatever metrics matter to your institution, don’t forget these top tactics for actually improving overall employee engagement.
3 Ways to Actually Improve Employee Engagement
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- Don’t Neglect Middle Managers
It’s no secret that middle managers often feel disgruntled and forgotten. But why? Many are promoted without training. They have proven their value for the organization but still lack the skills needed to lead people well. Without proper and ongoing training, mid-level managers won’t be set up for success. This group of employees needs proper and consistent training. - Coach Value-Based Sales and Leadership
Training is vital, and coaching reinforces training.
Sales that isn’t value-based does not work anymore. The value-add style of sales does not come naturally to most people and must be coached. People give their attention in exchange for perceived value. Employees need the tools and techniques to bring value. This style of training piggybacks off of natural communication skills and can increase ROI of coaching by up to 88%. 1 - Catch a Growth Mindset
Leaders want a growth mindset, but what is it? A culture-wide growth mindset looks like learning from member feedback (and criticism) and relentlessly pursuing goals in the face of setbacks. It’s innately driven by a hunger for growth.
- Don’t Neglect Middle Managers
Remember: challenges aren’t threats, they are opportunities for growth. These growth opportunities help employees flex to upgrades and changes in the industry and over time, makes them more keen to challenges.
This mindset doesn’t just happen, but it is contagious. It’s caught, not taught.
The good news and the bad news is that employee engagement is dynamic. If you want to stay competitive and create a bright future for your credit union, it all starts with engaging your employees.
Are you ready to see greater ROI on your leadership training and coaching? Tune into episode 13 of the Allied Angle for more employee engagement strategies.
1According to Integrity Solutions data. 2024.