Independent Banker - February 2024 - 38

PORTFOLIO
super-regional banks all day long when
it comes to recruiting and retaining
high-quality managerial talent. "
People leave managers,
not organizations
Knowing that the relationship between
an employee and their boss can
ultimately determine how long that
associate stays onboard, ICBA EVP
and chief people officer Valerie Utsey
says community banks should put
extra effort into identifying, training
and promoting management staff.
The requirement has heightened
in the current labor market, where
business.com says 50% of working
Americans are unsatisfied in their
current positions, and over 60% are
either already seeking new jobs or
starting their searches soon.
" At the end of the day, people leave
managers, not companies, " Utsey
says. " So if a bank is experiencing any
retention issues outside of benefits
and time-off policies, it should always
look to its management team. That
tends to be where you see the rubber
meeting the road in terms of why
people are displeased with their
current employment. "
When recruiting new managers,
Utsey says to look for people who are
active listeners and understand that
good communication skills is a twoway
street. " The better a manager's
listening skills, the better they can
" When you involve [team
members] early, they know they
weighed in and/or provided
information in advance of any
changes coming down the road. "
-VALERIE UTSEY, ICBA
communicate with their teams, " she
adds. Good managers also understand
the functional roles that they're filling,
know how to delegate tasks and know
that today's workforce doesn't want to
just be told what to do.
" People want to know the 'why'
and are no longer satisfied with
explanations like, 'It just is what
it is,' " Utsey says. Good managers
can turn this into an advantage by
explaining process changes or new
policies before any subsequent
confusion or frustration begins to set
in. They also get their teams' buy-in
early, ask for everyone's feedback
and then factor that input into the
decision-making process.
" Team members are generally
'deeper in the weeds' than their
managers are, " Utsey adds. " When
you involve them early, they know
they weighed in and/or provided
information in advance of any
changes coming down the road. "
More from ICBA
Look out for more
information on the ICBA
LEAD FWD Summit later
this year. icba.org/leadfwd
You can't just set it and forget it
Once you've identified one or more
managerial candidates, you should
assess your training programs and
make sure they include both early,
basic training and ongoing support.
At a fundamental level, Utsey says
training should focus on how to
complete HR tasks like time sheets,
plus the bank's employee disciplinary
and performance review processes.
Along with these tactical points, you
should also make sure managers are
aware of the tools and support that
are available to them.
Cheryl Kuch, a senior consultant
with Rehmann, says you should
also give managers time to develop
their skills, versus just sending
them to a class and assuming that
those individuals are " trained. "
For example, managers should be
allowed to test, practice and adopt
the new skills that they learned.
" Training managers should be a
long-term and continuous process
that involves learning and practicing
a skill at a time, " says Kuch, who
suggests holding quarterly training
sessions for new and existing
managers. " Encourage them to
master one or two skills before
moving onto the next. "
Each manager should also have
an individual development plan
that can be used to lay out, track
and document their management
development. Kuch also suggests
creating a " community " of leaders
and managers who can get together
38 // ICBA Independent Banker // February 2024
http://www.business.com http://www.icba.org/leadfwd
Independent Banker - February 2024

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