The Peoples State Bank executive team sought to enhance organizational synergy. They enlisted the guidance of an external coach to delve into Patrick Lencioni’s renowned work, the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. This exploration evolved into a deeper dive into Lencioni’s Ideal Team Player. The book’s concept of building teams based on the 3 virtues of hungry, humble, and smart deeply resonated with the Peoples’ established core values. “We see a lot of those characteristics already existing here. Having the focus on the Ideal Team Player model clarifies our culture,” stated Tina Seidl, Vice President/Human Resources Director at Peoples State Bank.
Because of such positive traction with the book’s principles, the leadership team decided to share them with the whole organization. Official communication kicked off at an all-employee event on President’s Day. From there, every Peoples associate was trained in small group formats of 8-10 people at a time, and at least one executive was present for each training session. “We had a lot of discussions to ensure this initiative was not just going to be some crazy change with no substance. Instead, we made sure that the Ideal Team Player virtues were connected to our current values and that this change would truly enhance our current culture,” commented Seidl.
Ultimately, the Peoples State Bank’s cultural initiative was to create a more high-performing team made up of people who are hungry, humble, and smart. These qualities were intended to form the cornerstone of all HR operations, starting from the recruitment process and shaping the entire employee journey. “For example, we ask interview questions like, ‘What has been your greatest accomplishment?’ to help us identify if the candidate embodies humility,” shares Scott Staszak, Talent Acquisition Manager. “Since we are introducing these principles early on, we believe it will help to improve retention. This change has translated into better job postings as well. We want to know if candidates and associates believe in the actual values that Peoples State holds dear,” Staszak continues.
The HR team is continuing to weave the Ideal Team Player into daily operations. The 3 virtues are mentioned in every staff meeting, managers have been given discussion prompts for all department meetings, and the standard definitions of what hungry, humble, and smart tangibly mean are regularly clarified.
Once training sessions were completed, the next step was to determine how the Peoples State HR team would integrate these principles to drive true organizational change. “WorkDove was that connection,” stated Staszak.
