Leading with Purpose: My Formula for a Winning Team

Recently I was asked if there was a process I followed to reach the level of success we've achieved in our department at the bank. After giving an answer, that I later felt didn’t do my team’s hard work justice, I began to jot down some notes about all of our initiatives over the years (the trials, errors, and successes). The next thing I knew, I had written this “article” and figured I would share it for others to provide their thoughts and opinions on the most effective way to lead a department – I’m sure there are things we have missed or could do better.

I attribute our success to this progressive approach to achieving unity, belonging, and purpose that revolves around our team's culture, operational efficiency, and strategic alignment with our goals. Here's how we do it:

Team Building: The Foundation of Our Success is Based on Employee Experience

Employees feel like they belong when they are given the opportunity to have fun with their friends at work. The foundation of our success is a fun, collaborative culture where leaders are as concerned about their employee’s personal lives as they are with their professional lives. We prioritize creating an environment where fun and high achievement go hand in hand, and celebrating success is part of our everyday routine. We also go to great lengths to make sure that we provide a place where employees feel safe; safe to challenge the status quo, safe to step outside their comfort zone, and safe to take calculated risks. It's essential for us that everyone feels they belong and are a valued member of the team. This sense of belonging fosters a motivated team that's eager to come to work and contribute to our mission.

Process and Efficiency Review: Teach Employees to Question Things That Don’t Make Sense

Operational efficiency isn't a one-and-done effort; it's a continual pursuit, like a marathon with no finish line. We regularly dive into our processes to identify areas where we can streamline operations and reduce unnecessary steps. We ask our frontline associates for their feedback and are prepared to change the order of things for the better on a moment’s notice. Creating an environment where employees feel safe to speak up, and are rewarded for it, is crucial to maximizing innovation. Optimizing our operational tasks is a critical step in ensuring we operate as efficiently as possible, allowing us to deliver superior service to our customers without compromising on quality. Our customer-facing associates should only have to worry about helping customers without being bogged down by complex processes, procedures, or administrative tasks.

Workflow Assessment: Work Smarter Not Harder

Assessing and optimizing our workflows through strategic task reassignment and the integration of automation technologies has been a game-changer and remains our biggest opportunity for improvement. This approach not only helps to enhance our efficiency but also allows our team to focus their talents on high-impact tasks, thereby improving the employee experience, the customer experience and overall productivity.

Organizational Realignment: Aligning Leadership Skills with Vision and Strategy

A key component of our strategy involves aligning our team's structure and individual leadership skills with departmental goals and the bank’s brand promise. This ensures that everyone’s strengths are fully utilized, enhancing our effectiveness in moving the ball down the field and achieving the right targets. More importantly, employees that get to utilize their natural abilities and talents are happier and more productive.

Performance Variation Management: Challenge People to Do a Little More Than They Think They Can

Our performance management strategy is an ecosystem of clear goals, frequent KPI reporting, consistent coaching, friendly competition, and, most importantly, creating a shared cause—our commitment to serving the customer. This focus helps establish a culture of accountability and continuous personal improvement, where every team member is motivated by the desire to meet and exceed our customers' expectations (not their boss’s expectations). Adopting this type of growth mindset allows us to view challenges as opportunities for learning and development in order to get better at helping customers solve problems.

Building Momentum: “We Have Now Reached our Cruising Altitude “

Building and maintaining momentum is crucial for sustained success. Once the operational responsibilities have been delegated to the right leaders, the manager then has the opportunity to take a step back and allow their team to operate the business while they observe from a metaphorical distance. Their focus can then, and only then, turn to solving the critical issues that need attention in order to move the department and the business forward.

Leadership Development: Our Future Leaders Are Homegrown

Investing in the development of our team's leadership potential is perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. By empowering emerging leaders and providing them with the tools and training they need to succeed, we ensure that our department is always led by individuals who are not only skilled but also deeply understand our culture, urgency, and goals. Teaching them to be independent, critical thinkers who understand how to take calculated risks has proven incredibly effective. Homegrown leaders who have risen through the ranks, shown their leadership potential, and are excited to help others are better prepared to lead the team into the future.

In summary…

Our department's success is not the result of any one single factor but rather the result of an ecosystem that prioritizes team culture, operational efficiency, and strategic goal alignment in order to meet our customers’ high expectations. By focusing on these areas, we've been able to create a thriving department that is well-equipped to meet the challenges our customers face within their financial life cycle. I’m eager to hear about the process other leaders go through in their journey to build a winning team. If you are interested, please share your process and/or let me know how we can improve ours.

Chris Lobley