Branch managers and employees who participated in the Aspire and Manager Moments programs, from left to right: Hali Thompson, Becky Kolstad, Mickey Adams, Lauri Lunde, Katie Presser, Lacee Kalepp, Sharon Hack, Patt Kox, Tisha Kucukaslan, Kari Tuyls, and Brett Staeven. Not pictured: Breanna Rooney.
The Training department rolled out two new learning programs in fiscal year 2019: Manager Moments and Aspire. Both programs give managers and employees the opportunity to develop and improve a wide variety of business skills relevant to their roles.
“Anyone can participate and drive their own learning in a self-directed way,” VP and training and development manager Milene Below says of the voluntary programs. “People really seemed to like being able to work through their chosen activities at their own pace. Our first year was a great success. We had 19 total participants between both programs and received some nice feedback from them.”
Corporate participants in the programs: Melissa Baccash, Lori Staniszewski, Priscilla Hartling, Glenda Waters, and Sara Coppersmith. Not pictured: Heidi Becker and Cathy Swanson.
Here’s what Aspire participant Breanna Rooney, teller supervisor at MLK Drive, had to say about the program:
Breanna Rooney
Why did you participate in the Aspire program?
I decided to do it because I believe that my journey to personal and career growth starts with myself. The program was structured to give me the tools and resources needed to tune and develop my skills, as well as gain new ones that correlate to building strong and capable employees.
What did you like about the program?
I loved that it offered flexibility and allowed even those of us with the busiest schedules to take our career paths and personal development into our own hands. My favorite part of the program would have to be the job shadows, which allowed me to see North Shore bank from a different perspective. The pieces really start to fit together when you can see behind the scenes. And meeting new people, or putting faces to names, was a great experience.
What did you learn?
The program taught me so much about managing, leadership, and communication, and how important it is to be able to do each effectively and efficiently. Doing this not only helps me in my role, but also contributes to the success of my team and the success of the company.
Comments about the Manager Moments program were equally laudatory. Here is some of the feedback from managers who participated:
“I liked the self-guided learning program because it allowed for flexibility to complete the training courses when it worked best with my schedule. I also liked that there was a mixture of activities/classes provided for us, as well as a variety of topics we could pick from, so the program was customized to our needs.”
“Having one or two takeaways from each activity to implement with the team was great. The job shadows are very helpful for gaining a better understanding of how we can all work together, make tasks more efficient.”
“I really enjoyed the job shadows. When the job-shadow program first rolled out, I wasn’t interested, partially because it would take me out of the branch. But now after going through two of them, I’d love to do more.”
Participants who complete the Aspire or Manager Moments program are recognized with a certificate and Seymour Salutes points at the end of the year. Congratulations to all of our program participants! Ask Seymour for more information on these learning programs and how to enroll.