Joy Brown-Holland

Joy Brown-Holland almost missed her chance to reap the benefits of becoming a sponsor. A CSR at Bayshore, Joy says, “I like doing things my own way, and I was used to that. When my co-workers told me I should be a sponsor, I wasn’t sure I had the patience.”

“I also thought it would be a lot of work,” Joy adds.

Now that she has trained her second new hire, she’s finding the experience highly rewarding.

“When I started at North Shore, it was a busy, hectic time, and I figured out a lot of things on my own. As a sponsor, I have found that I enjoy working with new people and being their go-to person,” she says.

Joy has learned patience and the rewards of taking time to build relationships. “Before I was in sponsor training, I hurried to get a trainee up to speed. But I’ve learned the importance of taking time to establish rapport and build a relationship, which helps build a team. If one of us fails, we all fail. I not only teach how to perform a job; I help the person fit in. That way, we all succeed.”

Joy has been with North Shore bank for 2½ years. She completed sponsor training in September, and she has sponsored two new employees: Josephine Schneider and Makayla West.

There was a bit of panic with Josephine; Joy was called to jury duty when Josephine started. “It worked out, because she spent time with Nikki Shelton-Moss and BOC Joe Melton her first week, so I was free when it was time for the hands-on training.”

“Joy is a good sponsor for many reasons,” says Bayshore Branch Manager Gloria Rosenberg. “One of them is her willingness to help others, which is so important for a sponsor. She can be very direct and no-nonsense, but balancing that with a sense of humor and great laugh helps put trainees at ease.”

Joy admits that learning to be a sponsor was not as hard as she thought it would be. Plus she’s learning to be patient. “I love being a sponsor,” she says.