Building Urgency and Fun in Deposit Operations - Diary of a Community Bank President EntryDeposit operations is not considered the most exciting area in banking. Some say it is repetitious, routine and even boring. But not at Placer Sierra Bank, a California Community Bank company. Here things are hopping every day, not only because checking accounts are growing by almost 50%, which brings about major volume surges, but because it is a special team that is bringing urgency and commitment to execution to their business in a fun way. Diane Demarest, the departments manager, and Nancy Storz, a mover, shaker and supervisor in the area, tell the story: We renamed Deposit Operations the Land of Oz. Our area has experienced so much growth and change this year that the Wizard of Oz seemed to be living amongst us, helping us get through the hurdles we face. Dorothy and her team have become our mascots. Oz (Operational Zenith, of course) is our goal. Its a little corny, but it works. There certainly are days when our pace feels a lot like Dorothys famous ride inside a twister but Oz is our destination and we continuously make progress toward that end. We have lots of fun around our goal, borrowing whenever we can from Dorothy and her friends. For example, every month we have a special recognition ceremony called "the Glinda Award", to recognize a person who has made a special contribution to the team or demonstrated leapfrog improvement. The first award went to Carol Ann for her steadying influence on us all. She is unflappable and is always there when you need her. Her sense of humor injects fun into much of what we do. The second award went to Jannell, a reliable, dependable, unsung hero and teammate who pitches in wherever she is needed. You dont have to be a superstar to be a Glinda award recipient. What you really need is team spirit and willingness to land a hand. The award ceremony is fun and flashy. A small, but appropriately dazzling plastic tiara crowns the winner. With great flourish Angie, our Departments own Vanna White, hands the Glinda Wand (a wonderfully gaudy, homemade affair) to the winner. The tiara is bestowed with much grandeur, everybody cheers and sometimes even a few tears are shed. We love it! Our monthly visit to the Emerald City is accompanied by daily big, hairy, audacious goals that help us achieve our potential and be the very best that we can be. We focus on identifying and implementing specific ways to use our time and other resources more efficiently. Our methodology for getting there is as follows:
We are also planning to discontinue various reports distribution for 2 weeks and see who asks for them. It certainly helps cut the distribution lists down |