Working with a charity made me a better banker
When I became a charity mentor 18 months ago I had no idea how much I would learn. It has changed the way I think about and manage my staff and it’s paying dividends.
In my day job at Lloyds Bank I manage 282 branches and was glad to have a chance to use my business experience to help a charity. I was asked by the bank’s foundation to take part in their charity mentoring programme to encourage skills sharing between bank staff and the small-and medium-sized charities the foundation funds.
Become a charity trustee – it changed my life
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I was matched with Synergy, which helps people in the east of England overcome alcohol and drug dependency. Chief executive Brenda Burton and I met regularly to discuss the charity’s business strategy. Burton already led the organisation with energy and tenacity but I brought a more commercial approach to their plans. Mentoring quickly became so important to me that I agreed to become a trustee so that I could get more involved.
But, through my work at the charity, I discovered the sector’s most valuable secret. I came to understand the importance of focusing on building meaningful relationships with individuals, making it clear to people that they matter and their wellbeing is important.
At Synergy, staff, volunteers and beneficiaries are supported without judgement – they feel safe to talk things through and know that makes a real difference. The charity’s structured detox plan also gave beneficaries a clear plan and helped them track their progress. This idea of manageable goal setting and taking time to understand someone is often the best way to support them, so I’ve tried to take these ideas and practical support back to my department.
My New Year resolution is to help the charity sector fight back
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I thought long and hard about the wellbeing and mental health of my own staff and asked for feedback from all 3,000 of them. I also asked volunteers from the charity to become my reverse mentor and highlight issues they faced. My two mentors had direct experience with mental health problems and made me realise that I had to do more to help my staff balance work and life better.
I have started to make several changes, most importantly making it normal to talk about health – even a single day’s absence – to help them see that they matter as people, not as a resource. We’ve all seen the difference. My team engagement is better, there are clearer signals of problems and, in hard numbers, my staff absence bill has been significantly reduced.
Maybe there are other ways to learn this lesson, but for me, it was the shining example of care for individuals I saw through Synergy that has changed the way I manage people. I’m still lending expertise and in turn learning all the time, and when my staff ask me how they can enhance their career and skills my answer is simple: become a charity mentor.
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