Bank Rage is All the Rage

No doubt about it, the public has "bank rage."  Fees, bailouts and the mortgage mess. It's only fair to qualify that the word bank doesn't mean every bank.  For those of us that think banking is an honorable profession and proud to call ourselves bankers we cringe at the repeated message that all banks are greedy and evil.  Most bankers, especially community bankers, want to defend and scream "not all banks are like the banks that make the news."  But all banks are taking the heat.

Charging a monthly fee to have and use a debit card isn't going to fly.  Bank of America, et al, picked the wrong sermon to preach at the wrong time to the wrong congregation! Hardworking Americans don't want unfair fees charged by banks, especially those that can't stay out of the headlines!  It reminds me of the GM executives flying their private jets to Washington, DC to defend why they needed to be bailed out.  

Community banks don't want to be lumped into the pile of banks that have fueled "bank rage."

Encourage your neighbors, family and friends to go find a community bank and do business where greed doesn’t rule, where your opinion matters.  If you are a community banker this is your moment to shine and to educate the customer about how the business works.  Bankers take in deposits - which cost plenty to service in order to make loans and investments in an effort to make money, stay in business and justify risk.  

The spread between the deposits and the loans is slim.  The cost of business has never been higher and everyone looking for a good return on an investment can't find one.  Fees have become the banks way to pay for costs and make money but expecting the consumer to stand by in silence when they think they've been misused is ignorance.  B of A should have worked harder for a different solution.  The toughest job right now in any bank has to be working in the call center talking to customers about fees.

Bank with the financial institution of your choosing, demand they explain how doing business with them works.  And, when you hear the term "banks" from the media and Washington please remember it isn't all banks.  Let the guilty face the consequences. 

Being in the news in this great country can mean you’re famous or you truly screwed up. One more time B of A has created a media firestorm and one more time the consequences are painful.  The consumer knows how to get Netflix or Bank of America's attention; take your business elsewhere.  Netflix owned the mistake and the majority granted them forgiveness.  What should Bank of America do?  So far silence is not golden.

Still learning,

Honey

Working on Work Relationships

Nothing including salary can offset the stress associated with working with someone you need to get along with and for whatever reason you don’t.  Not getting along with is a broad description.  You won’t like everyone, everyone won’t like you.   That’s not new news.  What might be new news is becoming aware of what your choices really are about dealing with it.

In my last blog I suggested you ponder key questions you could ask yourself in order to begin to manage yourself in the relationship.  Here are some helpful suggestions and ideas for you to add to your picture of what you can do to reduce the stress or possibly improve how the relationship is working.  One thing that will help immediately is for you to decide how much you are going to think about the relationship and then set up your mental boundaries around your thinking. 

Our feelings come from what WE think and do.   The good news about that is that you can manage your feelings, difficult as that may be in heated, stressful or broken relationships.  It’s not up to the other person how you feel it’s up to you.   Depending upon the story around the relationship it’s possible the dysfunction has gone on a very long time and you’ve been at a loss as to what to do about it. The bad news is this…if what you are doing to make it better or to feel better isn’t working you will have to come with a new approach.

In order to “work” on the relationship you will have to start with what you want to have happen and what you are willing to do about what you want.  This is a stretch when your feelings are hurt or you’ve been dragging around resentment for too long.  As you consider what you want strive to be realistic and ultimately not make the want about anyone but you.  That will be a challenge.

Some of this relationship business takes courage and most of it takes training.  All of it requires work.  If you want to get really good at working out what isn’t working in a relationship begin to frame what you need to do as practice.  You will need practice working out differences, offenses, slights and broken promises with others.  Don’t forget that you too will provide opportunities for when you “malfunction” in working well with others. 

So for today pick up your pen, write out your thinking about this relationship that isn’t working.  Include your feelings.  Then ask yourself what you want to have happen.  Keep working and writing on what you want until you feel you have an acceptable list of wants that are appropriate for you, for your values; wants that are attainable, realistic and dependent on your actions. 

Keep in mind you will want to think through where you are now and where you want to be with regard to your happiness.  How much of your happiness are you willing to surrender to focusing on what you can’t do anything about?  How much of your happiness are you willing to give up because you afraid are to face your opponent and express your willingness to work on working out what isn’t working? 

Your happiness is not dependent on others, though it will be influenced and impacted by others.  Your happiness goal is in your hands, you will need to adjust your thinking and doing in order to maintain the level of happiness you are committed to. 

The key is taking ownership of your happiness.  Your happiness is tied to your ability to self-evaluate and self-correct.  We need successful relationships; they are the primary source of our happiness.

More on thinking, doing and wanting to come! 

Still learning,

Honey

Relationships that Aren’t Working at Work

Stressful situations on the job can take a toll on your happiness meter and your success.  We don’t get to pick who we work with, “those people” just come with the deal, with the job.   Maybe you have a relationship at work that isn’t working or maybe one that has room for improvement.  
 

If you’d like to help make a relatlionship at work end up working better here are some questions for you to ponder.

How important is the relationship to you?

How do you know it’s not working?

How does the “not working” factor impact your performance?  What about your effectiveness?

What do you think will happen if the “not working” factor is never resolved?

If in the past, you’ve talked this up with others (other than the person involved) in the workplace are you willing to stop talking about it on the job?  Who could you talk to that isn’t on the payroll who could help you manage your feelings and help you create a plan around this?

How willing are you to do something about the situation? 

What are three things you think you could do that would improve the situation?    What are three things you could stop doing that would improve the situation?

When would you be willing to start doing something positive about the situation?

Is it possible you can be effective and enjoy your job even if the “not working” issue doesn’t improve?

If your feelings about the issue have escalated to resentment about how long are you willing to stay resentful?

Tune in tomorrow and I will help you with some answers to these key self -evaluation questions.

Still learning,

Honey

Mastering the Art of Balancing for Tellers

Is there another job in a financial institution under more scrutiny daily than the teller?  Everyday everything counts and is counted in the teller drawer.  Among the counted include success factors like accuracy, organization, procedures, accountability, and security just to name the top five.  But at the end of the day it’s about balancing.  The teller’s balancing record is tracked and monitored.

Highly seasoned and popular with her audience, teller trainer Janice Branch says that the steps necessary to establish and maintain a consistent practice on how money is handled and how transactions are processed are the “secrets” to balancing.

“One of the most anxiety producing expectations a teller faces is balancing consistently. It’s not just luck when a teller balances; instead it’s all about best practices in action. Whether a teller balances or not depends on how well they follow specific procedures when handling cash, procedures and transactions. The ability to properly handle money and transactions is without question the key to mastering the balancing act,” says Branch.  She conducts workshops around the country, webinars for InterAction Training and provides CD ROM training on Mastering the Balancing Act for Tellers.

Janice’s Best Practices for Tellers

·         Always count coin first – the most common amount teller is out of balance is less than a dollar

·         Money that comes and goes from the drawer must be verified, using the calculator feature on your keyboard

·         Verify cash by counting it by denomination totals and entering it into the calculator, then hit total and compare the total to the check or the deposit slip

·         Watch out for common distractions – chatting on your phone or with a co-worker while counting money

·         Balancing is about certainty – knowing without any hesitation that your money drawer was always locked when your back was to it and that you verified all cash in and out

Branch says that at the end of the day her goal is to help both the teller and the financial institution get what they want…balancing! 

You can check out training manuals and free teller tools and articles by going to www.interaction-training.com/store.

Coaching - Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Conclusion...

Mary finally did what you asked and you engage her in the following conversation.

The Coach        “Mary, let’s go over this together.”

Here’s her list

Behaviors required of my job                         How well I do them (scale of 1 – 5)

Friendly                                                                       4                                                         

Team player                                                                 4

Dependable                                                                  5

Professional                                                                 5

Skills required of my job                                   How well I do them

Know the job                                                                5

Accuracy                                                                     5

Computer-related skills                                                 4

Problem-Solving                                                           4

The Coach        “Mary, I know you were resistant to working on this with me and I am glad you finished the assignment.  Where we started from was - I had asked you how well thought of you wanted to be working here.  You said 4.5 on the 1-5 scale.  This assignment was intended to help you get your 4.5.  Would it surprise you if I told you that every score you gave yourself needs to be lowered by one point and that I would say you are off by at least a point of getting what you want.  So if you want to obtain a 4.5 you will have to raise the bar on your effort and remove the cloud that interferes with both your behaviors and your skills.”

Mary     “What makes you say that?”

The Coach        “Each of the behaviors and skills are compromised by your persistent mood-related behaviors like angering, snubbing your co-workers and choosing to be blunt, resistant and unkind.  Do you think you are willing to stop choosing behavior that has a negative impact on your success?  If you are I can help.  The first step will be for you to build a plan that helps ensure you stop doing what isn’t working and start doing what is in your best interest,” 

Remember to stay focused on your goal.  Your goal is to have Mary take responsibility for behavior that is out of line and harming teamwork and her professional reputation.  Watch out for getting hooked or giving up or buying into myths that you tell someone something one time and that is all it takes.

Coaching isn’t magic.  Mary is a hard case.  Remember to focus on what YOU WANT and teach others to do the same. That is motivation, reaching for what you want.  Help others reach, help them see if what they are doing is working.  The teacher will become the student and Mary just might be less contrary.

Still learning,

Honey

Coaching - There's Something About Mary

Mary shows up for the meeting without any paperwork and is sporting her angry face.  You inquire about the assignment and…

Mary     “I didn’t do it, I think this is ridiculous.  I do my job and I don’t appreciate being singled out to do some assignment about all this.”

The Coach        “Well, since you didn’t come prepared, you can finish the assignment now.”

Mary     “What if I don’t?”

The Coach        “What do you think will happen if you don’t?”

Mary     “I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem important to me.”

The Coach        “It’s important to your job, is your job important to you?”

Mary     “Well, yes but I don’t see the big deal here.”

The Coach        “It’s going to be as a big a deal as you make it.  I expect and want your cooperation.  I gave you an assignment, I expected you to finish it.  So here’s the pen, here’s the sheet you were working on last session so finish the assignment and I will be right back.”

You leave the room.  Come back in 5 minutes.

Tomorrow we will conclude coaching Mary.  She is a tough cookie and some of you have been Mary and some of you work with Mary.  The goal is to help Mary see that what she is doing is not going to help her get what she wants.

Does this sound too hard or too easy?  The challenge is stay focused on what you want to have happen.  It’s important you avoid being hooked by her self-defeating, over-empowered attitude and behavior.  Mary needs to get the picture of what is expected of her and to compare what she is doing to what is expected.

Tomorrow we will lower the boom with Mary and work on the outcome. 

Still learning,

Honey

Moving Forward…Coaching the "Chip on My Shoulder Employee"

Where are we?  Oh, yes, wishing Mary wasn't a pain.  The process I am sharing is NOT a quick fix.  It's a solution.  So here we go.

You had asked Mary to write down the behaviors and skills she thinks that are required in order to be very well thought of on the job.

On her list for behaviors she wrote:  Friendly, team player, dependable and professional.  Under skills she has: Know the job, accuracy, computer-related skills, and problem-solving.

You look over the list and tell her you think this is a great start.  Ask her to share her thinking about both lists.  Your job is to listen, to encourage her to speak about both lists.  Don’t ask her to defend what she came up with.  Ask her to share how she came up with it.  Inquire if there is anything more she wants to share about either list.

You are thinking she’s missing some behaviors and skills you expected.  And, you have witnessed first-hand that she is definitely falling short on excelling at several on her list but you don’t share your thinking.

“Mary, you and I are going to routinely meet.  And, we are going to meet to explore what you want, looking into what you need to do to get what you want, together we are going to build a plan to ensure you get what you want and we'll decide some ways to measure how close you are to getting what you want.  How does this sound to you?”

She is skeptical but agreeable.

Have her sign and date the list, make a copy for yourself, she keeps the original.

Give her the next assignment.

“Mary, look over the list each day for a few days, as you do ask yourself if there is anything you want to add.    Then before we meet a week from today I want you to rate yourself using the 1-5 scale on each behavior and skill.  Remember 1 would mean the lowest score you could give yourself, 5 would mean the highest score you could give yourself.  Bring this to our meeting next week so we can talk more about this.”

Stay tuned for Monday’s blog where we explore what else could have happened in this coaching session. Like, what to do if Mary simply won’t make a list or crosses her arms and folds them tight and scows at you in a very uncooperative manner refusing to participate.

Still learning,

Honey

More about Coaching the "Chip on My Shoulder Employee"

Let's keep the coaching going. Here's where we left off...

"Mary, I wanted to meet with you to determine something. I would like to know how well thought of you want to be as an employee of the company and as a member of my team. On a scale of 1-5 what would be the number that fits best – using a gauge of one meaning it doesn't matter and five meaning you want to be held in high regard, what number – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 would be the number you want?"

With reluctance Mary says I would be fine with a 4.5. You explain that 4.5 is a number you can support. Ask her to make a list of the behaviors and skills she believes are crucial to the success of someone in her position.

Be prepared to help Mary with the list BUT do not give her the list. Even leave the room while she works on this. Tell her you need to go to something and you will be back in 5 minutes or less and for her to just quickly make a stab at the list.

You could even give her a prepared sheet of paper with a line down the middle with one side labeled Behaviors and the other Skills.

The key is for Mary to begin to get the picture of what is required of someone who is well thought of - both by others and herself.

On tomorrow's blog we will pick this up. Stay tuned.

Still learning,

Honey

What to Do with the "Chip on my Shoulder" Employee

So here's the situation:

This employee consistently has a chip on her shoulder and her moodiness is a pain. The weather is more predictable. You go to work, the world looks pretty good to you, and the door opens and "trouble" has arrived.  As she whizzes by you without so much as a look you're thinking I need to address this.

Frequently her co-workers complain about her moodiness and her brisk and blunt comments to them. She demonstrates her angriness by slamming doors and huffing and puffing.

This isn't a new issue; this has been going on awhile. It’s not every day but it’s way too often. 

You've prayed it would change, you've approached the mine field around her work space with armor on and been told "I don't bother anyone and I don't want anyone to bother me. I am here to do my job and that's what I do."

You've brought the stressful, disruptive, unkind and sometimes rude behavior up in reviews with her but nothing changes.   She might never change but you must!  So let's get busy on this!

Here’s a question for you and suggestions:

As her manager what do you WANT to have happen? Get real, get honest. Here's what others with an employee such as I have described have told me. "I want the behavior to stop." Well, actually, they've also said things like "I would like to smack her." "I would like to fire her." "I wish she'd leave."

What you want to have happen needs to be in alignment with the company's policies and expectations.  It needs to align with your responsibilities as a manager and your personal value system.

You decide what you want. If you decide you want to address the behavior and create a mutual understanding of what needs to happen going forward I can help you.  Here is your assignment if you chose to take it:

1. Make a list of specific examples of recent behavior that you want to stop. Do not exaggerate. Be factual. Be descriptive. Do not be dramatic. Act like a reporter describing what you saw, heard and what others have reported.  Do not be prepared to go back over months or years or even throw the book at her but you must be able to describe in detail the behavior you saw, heard or was reported to you.

2. Schedule a coaching session; you can do this via email, phone or in-person. Here’s a suggestion on what to say.  “Please make plans to meet with me for 10-15 minutes Wednesday morning at 8:15.”   If she asks what's it about tell her you have some things to go over with her.  That’s all you tell her.

If you routinely (hope you do) coach then you are dedicating your next coaching session with Mary to addressing this issue.   Addressing is the beginning.  It is not the end.

Best practices for all coaching sessions: be calm, sit on the same side of the desk or sit around a table, have water for you and her, have a clock where you both can see it, have paper and pen for each of you. Do not answer your phone or email and put a do not disturb sign on the door.

3. "Mary, I wanted to meet with you to determine something. I would like to know how well thought of you want to be as an employee of the company and as a member of my team. On a scale of 1-5 what would be the number that fits best – using a gauge of one meaning it doesn't matter and five meaning you want to be held in high regard, what number – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 would be the number you want?"

Expect possible derailments of questions from Mary including what's this about, what do you mean, etc. Just stick to the script. You need her to answer the question.

You don’t defend, over explain or get into any behavior issues at this point.  Stay focused on this first question.

I will blog on this again tomorrow. Between now and then I want you to make a list of what you think you would say according to the number she gives you. Then you can compare you answers to mine.

Until tomorrow…

Still learning,

Honey