Recently I had to take my mom out of town for a doctor visit. We were in the car for hours, and it was good to catch up on the past, the present, and the future (my mom, who is 84, is always thinking of the future).
On our way home, we stopped at Cracker Barrel – a favorite place of hers that she doesn’t get to that often.
As we ate, I asked mom if she knew what the stars on the aprons were for? She guessed service levels or maybe time worked, and I told her that was part of it.
A number of years ago in Abingdon, I ate at the Barrel and chatted with a young fellow who had gone to school with my son. I asked him the story of the stars.
Yes, it was based on service, but Cracker Barrel has a volunteer program that staff can undertake to learn more about the company, service, etc., so effort and commitment to learning played an important role in getting to the 4-star level.
As we drove home I wondered what if our employees had stars? Perhaps on our business cards or name plates.
Maybe a PVB employee would get 1 star for being friendly, answering phones, getting folks to talk to the right person. A positive attitude about work.
Maybe 2 stars meant that you had learned to do other things beyond your normal job. A teller who learned how to be a backup CSR or backup head teller.
3 stars – you learned more about other services – electronic banking, investment services, the Bank’s computer systems, took some BAI classes beyond those you are required to take.
4 stars – still pondering on that one. Maybe you could help me with that one.
We don’t have stars that are visible to the public like Cracker Barrel, but we do have “stars” that our customers and fellow employees can see in how we approach our jobs and interact with others.
If you rated yourself, how many stars would you have?
– Leton
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“Letters From Leton” is a blog series comprised of the weekly updates that Leton Harding – President, Chairman, and CEO of Powell Valley National Bank, shares with the Bank’s team members. These newsletters are full of uplifting anecdotes and intriguing insights that are applicable beyond the Bank, so we want to share them with you.
