Connect with employees
When it comes to growth, O’Maley isn’t shy to seek out employee feedback and advice and use it in developing new ideas.
Early on he developed the “Hey David” card. He invited any employee to write him with ideas, concerns or complaints that he or she may have.
“My commitment was that if you wrote me and signed your name, I would get back to you, and I answered every one,” O’Maley says.
He says people were hesitant at first to open up to him. He talked about the card every chance he got, but even with all the discussions, people were still leery about sharing.
“A fe
w people will try it out, and there are a couple of things you have to do,” he says. “You have to reply back. You have to respect their concerns that they might have — that they might be going over their supervisor’s head, they might be raising an issue that management doesn’t want to hear about, and they need to feel comfortable that there’s no negative backlash that comes their way as a result of opening up and sharing.”
Most of O’Maley’s follow-up was on the phone or through written communication, but occasionally he went out and met with the employee in person. Later on, as e-mail started to become more popular, he started following up with e-mails. It doesn’t matter which way you follow up though; it’s just important that you do it.
“Opening the discussion is a big pro for communication, but if you don’t close the circle and follow back up with associates, you undo all the good,” O’Maley says. “You have to be frank and timely. By doing so and being straightforward, we’ve been able to execute on associate ideas and have delivered with programs.”
If O’Maley receives a question that he is unable to answer, he copies a member of the management team on the response to the associate and lets them know that this person would be better able to help him or her with the concern.
As more people started sharing and realizing that O’Maley was paying attention to them, more and more employees were willing to come forward with comments or ideas. This helped build trust between management and employees.
One example of where an employee suggestion made a difference was in Ohio National’s on-site café. Employees receive a 10 percent discount if they use their ID badge debit card. When the price of gas went up over the summer, O’Maley decided to increase the employee discount from 10 to 30 percent. If employees went out to eat lunch, they would be spending more on the meal and gas than if they decided to eat in the cafeteria because of the higher discount.
“It was well received,” he says. “It showed that management was thinking about them as much as management was thinking about the business.”
You need to remain open in order to build that trust and always deliver on your promises.
“Don’t promise things until you’re pretty confident you can deliver them,” O’Maley says. “If you treat people that way, it will come back. Then it just takes time. Trust is not something you get in a week or with a speech or a single event, it just takes time.”
O’Maley has certainly accomplished what he set out to do 15 years ago. The company has been in the 11 to 14 percent range for growth in metrics such as assets, revenue, earnings, capital and equity during that time period. It recently posted 2008 total GAAP revenue of $1.24 billion, an increase of 5.5 percent from 2007.
He says to keep the business focused and on course, it’s important to view your role as more of a teacher instead of a dictator.
“Together we can accomplish the things we set out to do,” O’Maley says. “I see myself as not just the leader who helps set the vision but also as a teacher who guides and directs our associates and stakeholders through the process.”
How to reach: Ohio National Financial Services Inc., (513) 794-6100 or www.ohionational.com
