TAMPA — Being a branch manager means interacting with members each business day, which is why Susan Martin recently stepped down from her role as AVP to get back to doing what she likes best.
As AVP-area executive for the $1.7-billion Grow Financial FCU, Martin was responsible for overseeing six branches, but at a very high level. Before she took over as AVP a little over 18 months ago, she managed one of GFFCU's locations in Tampa. Today she's market manager at the Hyde Park office.
"When I was in charge of six branches I didn't have the member interaction that I had become accustomed to," Martin explained. "My passion is talking with members and making a difference in their lives, and watching my employees have the same success."
Martin emphasized the importance of listening skills to understand members' needs. But she said being an effective listener means more than letting members do most of the talking.
"To be a good listener you have to be engaged," she said. "The way I do it, and I tell staff how to do it, is that I don't look at my computer. I look at the member. I stand up straight. I lean into them to let them know they have my undivided attention. I make eye contact. I nod now and then and take a few notes. I let them finish and I say, 'Based on what you said, I have another question for you.' If my body language is not showing that I am engaged, why would a member think I am listening?"
When Martin or one of her team members completes a successful interaction that improves a member's financial situation, she makes sure she shares the success with the entire branch. "I want my staff to see the successes and believe in their ability to help members - and I want them to see how easy it can be." So Martin e-mails the win to the entire team, leaves voicemails, and talks to employees.
Martin also e-mails senior leaders, who she said are good about sending a response to the employee who improved the member's life. "I believe employees need to be recognized for what they do. I also want them to repeat their success, and recognition makes that happen."
The Hyde Park Branch is located in an upscale Tampa business district, with a number of "high profile" attorneys, doctors, and sports stars who frequent the branch, said Martin, who described the office as a typical CU location. It has six teller windows and three drive-through lanes managed by her staff of 12, which service almost 6,000 members.
The economy has affected business here, as it has in most other areas battered by plummeting home values. That has the Hyde Park team watching expenses even more closely. Martin believes cross-training employees can help keep staff costs under control, "and it also enhances the career development of my team and prepares them for a position of increased responsibility," she said.
This special report on Branch Management is reported by Ray Birch.
