Leaders Bank
“Typical leaders don’t start a business by thinking about the psychological health of their employees. But that’s where we started. Our organization’s philosophy, its mission, and values were forged with input from every employee. Employees were provided with tools to support open, transparent communication and effective problem solving.”
Sara Mikuta
Chief Financial Officer
Leaders Bank Case Study
The Challege
A de novo bank sought to embed a resilient workplace culture into the norms and values of their organization. The founding leadership team communicated a vision anchored in employee wellness, organizational health, and engaged customer experience.
The Assessment
As a new team, leadership had not yet taken the opportunity to define the foundation of philosophy, mission, and values that would support this ambitious vision. Moreover, they needed to craft a vetting process for new employees whereby recruitment and retention would be guided equally by culture and talent fit.
The Action
A “Vision Pyramid” was established as the foundation document for defining the accountabilities of the workplace culture. At the time of hire and on an annual basis, employees were trained in Team Clock methodology with refresher workshops aligned with employee development and performance review scheduling. Ongoing assessment and action planning was activated in anticipation of and in reaction to organizational change.
The Outcome
Leaders Bank was named #1 Best Place to Work by the Business Ledger and Illinois Chamber of Commerce in 2006. In 2007, they were a Wall Street Journal Top Small Workplaces finalist. In 2008, they were named one of Chicago’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies by the National Association of Business Resources. In 2009, they received the Heart Healthy Workplace Platinum Award from the American Heart Association. Finally, in 2010, Leaders Bank was one of ten North American recipients of the American Psychological Association’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award in addition to receiving one of five Best Practice Honors awarded by the APA.