Speaker 1:
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Mark Meloy:
Hello, I'm Mark Meloy CEO of First Business Bank and one of the hosts of the First Business Bank Podcast. Today's episode is going to talk about employee development during times of change. And with me are Corey Chambas and Jodi Chandler. Both with 25 years experience with First Business, Corey as CEO of our holding company and Jodi as our Chief Human Resource Officer. So as we talk about employee development and in the context of during times of change, how does an organization focus on employee development during times like that?
Corey Chambas:
Well, I'll jump in Mark. I think it, I think it varies, um, and it depends upon the, the individual's position, the circumstances, how much they're affected by the change, how big the change is. Certainly there is likely to be in develop- developmental need to some extent revolving around the change, whatever that changes in the organization. Um, so that could dictate what folks need to work on and the development need. So it could be different than the plan they had which could be, you know, very much mapped out, but if the organization is, is making a, a dramatic move in one way or the other, um, that may cause a need for the folks to be trained on something different than, than was the plan. So I think as I think about it, um, uh, the employee development and in, in times of change is flexibility is really the key because it, it could be, you could still be working on it quite a bit, but it could be very different at topically, um, than what had been, uh, laid out.
Jodi Chandler:
You know, as I think about change that we experience, um, sometimes the change is just happening, uh, in a department or in a certain employee's life. Uh, and, and those types of changes just to Corey's point, you know, you can, can really handle on a case by case basis, you know, redo a development plan, redo a development goal, as it makes sense, but then sometimes there's more widespread change, you know, that we experienced as a company, um, that we experienced as a country or even as a world, like the COVID crisis. Um, and then I think you really do need to take the time to really understand, uh, how much development needs to be done if it's more widespread and, uh, the company likely needs to pivot and do things differently. So does the department, and so does an employee. So we are a company that really, uh, uses our strategic plan and, um, have cascaded that strategic plan throughout the organization.
Jodi Chandler:
Employees are very much invested in helping us achieve, um, our different strategies, like different initiatives and a lot of those are woven into their development goals. And again, and you know, a time of a more widespread event or change, um, I think it's very fair to have the conversations with your employees that we're just going to pause on development at this time or just pause on something that the, the department was trying to achieve prior to having to, uh, figure out a different way, uh, of working and getting their day jobs done. You know, again, I think it just depends on the severity of the change that being said changes in our daily environment so much so, um, that we've recognized it again in our statement of beliefs. And I can even read, um, the belief that really resonates with this, recognize that change is inevitable and we must change in order to stay ahead of our competitors. Employ technology to be as efficient and as accessible as possible.
Jodi Chandler:
So without a bigger event of more widespread events, we know that we're asking our employees to change a lot. And the pace of change just in the world today is way different than it was, you know, 25 years ago. Uh, we've now recently introduced a book for our managers to be reading and being trained on and then also we'll be rolling it out to our, our, all of our employees, and it's called an, uh, An Employee Survival Guide to Change, but we're not looking at as surviving, we're looking at it as thriving through change. It's what makes us better. And if we continue to do things the same way that we've always done it, we're going to get left behind. We're not going to be able to be successful. So finding different ways to be able to give tools and resources and again, kind of a common model for people to use as they're trying to go through change, understanding, you know, where they might be getting hung up in the change process can be valuable. So providing those types of resources in those forums for discussion, I think are really important.
Corey Chambas:
And I would say Jodi, that that's, uh, a great point in terms of the timing of, of what you're talking about, that managerial training about change and then it will roll to employee training about dealing with change. It, it resonates more with people in a time of change. So if you're kind of in a status quo, uh, situation, and then you do this managerial training and development on change management, and you push that to your employees, it just doesn't seem as relevant. Um, so I would say that pivoting a little bit on what you're working on, on development just fit the situation in a time of change is great and, and training on and developing on change is, is right on point. And I think people will embrace it even more so, um, I, I think that's, that's, uh, a great timing issue relative to that.
Mark Meloy:
I think that's a good point. Um, Jodi you mentioned the COVID pandemic and that I would categorize sort of as a revolutionary change one that affected everybody, but there's also kind of an evolutionary change and each of you have touched on it a little bit technology being one of those things. And as I look back on, uh, my history with this company, but prior to that, even there is that evolutionary change that is driven largely in most of our lifetimes by technology and, and those employees that kind of get stuck, I'll call it, in that they, they're not ready to, they don't want to, they're, they're comfortable in doing it the way they used to do it. And, and we've dealt with that in, in certain circumstances in the history of our company too and that's, that's, to me really goes to the, kind of the preparation, the discussion, the, the kind of continuous improvement, if you will, as being part of employee development. Any thoughts by either of you on that?
Jodi Chandler:
And I think the, the first thought that comes to my mind Mark, when you say that is, it's all about communication. Um, you know, we've had instances and Corey, this might be where your mind is going to right now, but Corey and others on the leadership team may be working on something, um, that's going to be a big change for our company. And that handful of people has been working on it for six months, nine months, whatever it may be. So that group of people has had time to process and understand what the change is and the value of it.
Jodi Chandler:
Um, and then when we communicated out to the company, you know, sometimes the expectation can be that your employees are just going to jump on board, um, and go with you and they're ready to go. Um, and you really need to allow them the time to also process and understand and that's going to take multiple conversations. Um, so the more communication that you can have, uh, during a change, I think the better and that's gotta be two way. You know, you've got to listen to your employees, understand what they're feeling, what they're experiencing and, um, help navigate through that. So I think communication is key, uh, during times of change.
Corey Chambas:
Yeah, I agree, Jodi and Mark, you referenced technological changes, kind of the evolutionary one that just is happening all the time in our careers. And I think Jodi as, as you just said, people need to understand why you're making the change so that they can get on board. They have to feel comfortable that they are capable of dealing with the change and trained up enough. And I think a lot of organizations do a, a good job at that because it makes sure that there's training being done. I agree with you that the upfront, we kind of shortcut because we've been, we've been understanding the need for quite a while. Um, so that, that's definitely true. But then after the fact, after you've trained people, I think one place that you can fall down and I think we have at times, is making sure that you're circling back with people and understanding how it's going for them as they're implementing new systems or procedures because my feeling always has been well, we trained you so now you're good.
Corey Chambas:
I'll just go. Um, well, that's not all there is to it once you start going, um, that's where people kind of backslide a little bit and can be like, “Well, I'm going to keep a paper file instead of this electronic thing ‘cause that's the way I always did.” And so they'll continue with old habits and old ways you have to reinforce good behavior on dealing with the change. You have to have people who are championing that, who are helping to train others, who might be a little slower to embrace it and, and understand it and move along with it.
Corey Chambas:
So it doesn't just stop with the training on that evolutionary technological kind of change there, there's some more after the fact, um, making sure that it's being fully, uh, implemented and utilized, and we've all seen stats about technology, you know, most systems being 20% utilized in terms of their capabilities and organizations. And I think that's where it falls down is the continuing work after a change has been implemented and feeling like, “Oh, we're good. It's over.” No, it's not over there's, there's still a lot of work to be done at that point.
Mark Meloy:
Yeah, because kind of the old adage, you have two, two ears and one mouth- mouth and use them proportionally. I think that that applies to development at the and during times of change. So for the listener tuned in today, what's a good one takeaway that you, you'd like to offer to them, to lead employee development in times of change.
Corey Chambas:
I would say the one thought I have is make sure you understand that development is not linear. It's not happening at the same pace all the time. Um, and a plan you want to have a well laid out plan, but it's going to, it's going to change. It's going to be... Even if the person makes the progress that you're looking for, it's going to be a jagged line because there are times, uh, when that development plan is going to be derailed because of change or, and, and it may be affected in the way I think Jodi mentioned earlier that boy with what's going on right now, I don't have time to work on my development plan. I, I just have to deal with if the change is a crisis kind of change in that person's world in their work world, um, or in their personal world, I guess, um, you just have to get through it and that's what you need to be focused on and development may take a back seat for awhile.
Corey Chambas:
So there could be a pause in that, and then you're back on track later. So that sort of jagged line understanding that that's, that's what could happen because it gets derail or because what's needed is different because of a change that happens there needs to be development but it's not on the thing that you thought it was gonna be on. It's on, maybe it's, uh, maybe it's on change, understanding, working with change or some other developmental opportunity that is brought about by the change that's, that's taking place. So it's not a straight line. Um, there'll be, you know, there'll be fits and starts. Um, and you know, you gotta, you gotta keep it in mind but understand it's, it's not a, a straight line.
Jodi Chandler:
And Corey, I think I would echo almost the exact same comments. Um, and also I think it just dovetails right into this, just the flexibility that you need to have in that kind of mindset when you go into development. Um, because just as you said, um, the world we live in now either in a crisis or not changed just as happening so rapidly. And if an employee gets too fixated on a plan that was put together at the beginning of the year, um, and not being flexible to change and to pivot, um, the employee is going to be disappointed and, um, you might be as well. So talk about it a lot. Again, it goes back to communication, understanding what's happening, but yet, um, having an expectation that people are going to continue to move forward to develop, uh, and to help navigate through change. Um, I think that's really important too. So it's understanding, understanding where your employee is, understanding what your business is, um, and, um, just kind of right-sizing it, uh, for any current situation, any current change that's happening, uh, with the employer in the organization.
Mark Meloy:
Thanks Jodi and thank you Corey for your time today as we talked about employee development during times of change. And thank you to our listeners for tuning in today, I hope this gives you some points to get started and function the very best you can during times of change, whether they're external or internal. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 1:
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