Page 23 - Perspectives Vol.15 Issue 2

What
to Do
with Our
Shoes
When They
Don’t Fit
Andria McCollough, Truity Credit Union
Some of us stumble into positions along our career journey that don’t exactly fit us. Like Truvy in Steel Magnolias once quipped, “In a good shoe, I wear a size six, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size eight.”
When we are tired of wearing a size six job, even when it fits our strengths and passions perfectly, we can sometimes convince ourselves that the roomier size eight with a higher paycheck should be no problem and go into it unprepared for the realities. Twenty years later,
we can feel unfulfilled, stressed, and wondering what to do with that old pair of shoes we had put so much hope in.
As credit union workers, our mission of “people helping people” must extend to how we serve the people serving
our membership. With today’s record turnover rates, we must consider how to shift employee perspectives with a holistic, whole-person approach that includes letting them wear shoes that fit.
If you pay attention, you can see
the turnover coming. Are your employees deeply invested in the work they do, day in and day out, because they are doing work they feel good about? Or do they spend their workday going through the motions, stuck in a role they don’t like, and perhaps daydreaming of greater career possibilities elsewhere?
As leaders, and especially human resources professionals, we can construct programs around helping our employees love the shoes that fit.
2020 Perspectives 21