Ned Handy wants his employees to take some time away from the office. In fact, he’s willing to let them to take up to three
months off — so long as they’re helping the communities they work in. That’s because Handy, president and CEO of Charter One
Bank, Ohio, knows the value of both building up the community and letting employees work on what they’re passionate about.
For example, the company’s Champions in Action program designates a particular nonprofit organization and allows employees
to volunteer for the quarter, and additionally has a Sabbatical program where an employee applies to volunteer his or her time for three months at a designated non-profit and is celebrated upon his or her return. In addition, the company
organizes several volunteer opportunities a month. For Handy’s 1,800 Ohio employees, building up the local communities is part
of a company credo to create a positive feeling about the bank. Smart Business
spoke with Handy about how to build up the
community you work in and how to set the tone for your company culture.
Build up the community you live in. I believe
that the strength of our company is directly
tied to the strength of our communities, and
if we’re not giving back and doing everything
that we possibly can to help out, then we’re
missing the mark, and I think that ultimately,
we have a huge instance of volunteerism in
the company. It’s promoted, it’s constantly
discussed, and we make sure that our colleagues know that it’s not just something that
will be appreciated in the community; it will
also be appreciated internally.
It’s critical for everyone to spend some
time recognizing that there are those that
are less fortunate and they can help. In our
case, it gives us a chance to work together
outside the company, but it’s also a good
thing for an employee to do the work outside of the bank and come back and be
able to share those things and be celebrated at the bank. And it’s a good chance for
not just them, but also for the colleagues to
see the passion of the company and what
we can do.
We have a [Sabbatical] program where we dedicate a
colleague for three months for a not-for-profit company and then come back to the
company and tell people about the experience and how meaningful it was. A big part
of [our Champion for Action program] is we give money, but it’s recognition that we do with a media partner, it’s a
big part of volunteerism, and we get to
know that agency that we work with. And
I can’t think of a better way to build the
moral fabric and a positive feeling throughout the company.
Help employees by making them accountable.
My style is to let them run the business and
keep me informed as necessary and make
use of me as necessary but to empower
them to be leaders themselves.
It’s ownership of budget, it’s ownership of
their markets, it’s management of their
people, it’s maintaining an open door so
that they and their reports can get access
to me as they need, but basically, it’s making sure that they take responsibility for
both the good parts and bad parts of their
operations.
Accountability can take many forms. We
have budgets that we adhere to, and we
count a lot of things and keep track of how
we are doing on a very regular basis. The
key is that I listen well to what they are
telling me and communicate back to them
on a very regular basis, and that gives us
very open lines of communication. We
don’t manage for the people who report to
us, we lead through great communication.
Look deeper during the interview. We want
people who get great references from business partners, and we want people who are
willing to work hard but who are open-minded and who also listen well.
In an interview process, I ask a lot of
questions about specific topics, whether
it’s about their community projects or
work-related, to make sure that what’s said
is real, and I make sure that I can confirm
this with the outside references.
We also look for ability to listen, [we]
want to make sure that people are not over-selling and are willing to talk honestly
about themselves and their own qualities
because that shows a willingness to accept
the fact that they might learn something
new at anytime because they are not the
be-all, end-all.
Lead the path to communication. Leadership
by example is a huge part of leadership in
general. If people see me willing to listen
and be patient with what’s being communicated, then they’ll follow suit, and I think it
fosters a sense of community, a sense of
working together across the whole leadership team.
Set a tone for the company culture. Develop a
set of core beliefs that are focused on
engaging colleagues and the community
in a way that will benefit everyone. We
have credo meetings, and I have regular
meetings with as many as 100 people to
talk about the things we believe in. One
of them is being proactive with the community and also with our customer base.
Its continually discussed, made a part
of the fabric to a point where we can discuss actions as to whether or not they
are credo-like. It even develops in a way
that’s sort of a language. It’s treated very
much as an empowerment tool where if
you feel like you’re doing the right thing,
that you see that it’s recognized and it’s
more than just a mantra, it’s reinforcing
a set of beliefs throughout the company.
Be the public face for your company. I insist on
my leadership team being available to our
staff and being in the marketplace and
watching what’s going on. Whether it’s
spending time with the colleagues on a
local level or doing something bigger like
working on the Harvest for Hunger campaign, I’m involved in those things and take
advantage of every opportunity I can to
work with those things.
Spending time with colleagues to the
extent that I can, and to the extent that
my leadership team can, is invaluable. It’s
difficult to see everyone as much as we’d
like, but it’s so valuable when you can
make it happen, so you have to find time
to do it.
HOW TO REACH: Charter One Bank, Ohio, (877) Charter or
www.charterone.com