When you work at a credit union, it is your mission to serve your members well. Who you are as a credit union is displayed in your branding, how you address your members, how you are involved in your community, and what kind of products you offer. While beautiful branches and catchy taglines play a role in how your members see you as a brand, the real determining factor that sets you apart from your competitors are your employees. They are the ones who transform and set the tone of your organization with every conversation and interaction they have within your team, your members, and your community. If you’re trying to build deeper connections and interpersonal relationships among your employees, here are some tips that might be helpful to you.
Meet Each Other Face-To-Face
How can your team feel like they can trust and depend on each other if they don’t even know their teammates? Whether you have 50 employees or 500, it is crucial that they can interact in fun ways inside and outside the office. At Leaders Credit Union, we have an annual Champion Summit, and our branches are closed for the day so all our employees can attend. It is an all-day event where we get to hear from our CEO, executive leadership, and a guest speaker with team-building exercises and updates for what is to come in the years ahead for our credit union. Having a time for all your employees to get together to be updated about your credit union’s progress and plans helps your values and goals to be clearly communicated to your entire team.
Have Open Communication
No one likes being kept in the dark. If your employees feel they are in the loop about your credit union’s plans and progress, they feel more part of the team. Open communication between you and your employees can help tear down any walls of misunderstanding or confusion. Find ways to communicate constantly through sending out internal newsletters and all employee emails. At Leaders, we have incorporated all-employee quarterly video calls. This gives our different departments and branches the opportunity to share information about what is happening internally with our teams and address any external needs of our members.
Serve Together
If you’re trying to promote a servant-hearted culture within your credit union, what better way to do that than to have your employees serve the community together? Doing service projects like cooking at your local soup kitchen, organizing an office at a local nonprofit, or donating clothes to a homeless shelter encourages a sacrificial attitude among your employees as they can give their time and talents for someone else’s needs. Putting your words to action reveals to your employees how important service is to your credit union, as well as communicating to your local community that you’re a dependable partner. At Leaders, we promote “Leaders With Love” projects each year, typically around Christmas, where every branch and department picks a service project to do as a team. Projects have included providing breakfast for the fire department, restocking a dog shelter with supplies, taking gifts to an assisted living facility, and bringing treats to the workers in the emergency room at the local hospital.
Don’t Miss the Small Moments
While having group events are great ways to build connections with your employees in your credit union, individual milestones like work anniversaries, weddings, or a new baby should never be overlooked. Finding something to celebrate that’s important to each of your employees every day can radically change the mindset of your team by being intentional with one another. Everyone wants a place where they can be excited to work and feel invested in, so make your credit union an exciting place to be!
About Leaders Credit Union
Headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee, Leaders Credit Union has nine retail branches, two mortgage centers, and a full-service E-Branch that serves over 75,000 members across West Tennessee. With over $1 billion in assets, Leaders has been nationally recognized as one of the Top 100 Credit Unions in the Nation and is in the Top 10% Strongest Credit Unions in Tennessee. To learn more, visit www.leaderscu.com.
