30th May 2022
Meet the Speakers – NYC Inspire Work Summit 2022 – Mike Winters
IW: Today, we’re delighted to be joined by one of our speakers for the 2022 NYC Inspire Work Summit. Welcome Mike Winters.
Firstly, we wanted to ask you all, what does an Inspiring Workplace mean to you?
MW: An inspiring workplace is one where teammates feel cared for, have a sense of pride in the work they do and the company they represent, and feel they can be successful and build out a career. These are the three pillars The Academy at Bank of America orients around as we prepare teammates for their role.
IW: What is your talk about and what will attendees learn from it?
MW: My talk will highlight how we use teammate feedback to support our three pillars, and ensure teammates are prepared for their role. We have an important role to play as we are typically a teammate’s first interaction with Bank of America. We set the tone for everything that follows. The foundation to ensuring we are getting it right is the voice of the teammate. We are listening to them and are making changes.
IW: What are three areas of focus for organizations looking to improve the people experience?
MW: Success, Care, and Pride. Honestly these are foundational and when you really think it through, they keep it simple in terms of the output because it dials in to how teammates feel. Preparing teammates for role is layered and complex in our environment. There is a discernible difference in building a program to cram in skills and get it done versus building a program where teammates actually feel prepared for role.
IW: What do you think is the most important quality in a leader?
MW: Transparency. Wrapped in this is integrity and honesty. Especially in environments of rapid change, being able to share from the heart what teammates need to know and understand how it impacts them is critical. It means acknowledging how they feel. Doing this gives teammates a sense of stability which is critical in times of change. While a leader may not always be able to share everything, they can certainly find a means to share meaningfully what they can to provide context.
IW: What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
MW: Ironically, the best advice I ever got was from a leader I worked with and was given during an exit interview. I was told that being a leader was not a popularity contest to be the most liked. Being a leader is about creating an environment of expectations and providing resources and support to enable productivity. This was one of the more challenging things I think was ever shared with me. I certainly was not on a conscious mission to be liked or popular, and yet, upon reflection I in fact was. As I moved forward, I changed my game to ensure I set realistic stretch targets for my team and created environments where they could aspire to be their best. This included a high degree of accountability to performance criteria. The irony in all this is that I was still a well-liked leader, and one teammates respected.
IW: What’s your advice on how best to engage remote teams?
MW: Communication is key. A lot of this has been written on this topic over the last couple of years. For me it is identifying teammates primary communication preferences, having a defined cadence of 1:1s, and taking the time to be social. Lastly, gratitude, it is part of every conversation I have and I want my team to know I am grateful for the time they spend furthering our objectives.
IW: Following on from that question, how do you build a strong inclusive culture with a hybrid workforce?
MW: Bank of America, including The Academy, does a fantastic job at fostering open communications, having courageous conversations on issues important to teammates, and ensuring we are all well-versed in our culture of inclusion. As a leader, I embrace these ideals and further them by ensuring they are part of our team routines. I strive to create an environment where we build on these routines during our team meetings and 1:1s to ensure teammates are heard and feel they can express their perspectives.
IW: Focusing on employee emotional wellbeing, how do we help employees create boundaries between work and home life?
MW: Bank of America provides many resources and benefits to ensure our teammates can take care of themselves and their families. From a leader perspective, I find it important to let teammates know that family comes first. They know they can take the time they need to take care of themselves and/or family as needed. It is also important to remind teammates of the resources they have to support them. I personally coach my team to be strategic and to utilize their vacation time throughout the year to step back and recharge.
IW: We are a big believer that fostering psychological safety is an organisational imperative. Do you agree and if so, why?
MW: I do agree. I am grateful we are moving towards an environment that is minimizing the stigma of discussing mental health. It supports psychological safety at work and makes it more likely teammates will engage the resources available to them. It also drives and supports an inclusive culture where teammates can bring their whole self to work.
IW: Following ‘The Great Resignation, what do employers need to do to ensure they attract and retain the best people?
MW: Invest in their development, provide career direction and pathing, and most importantly listen to them as they express concerns. Voice of the Employee is the key and I am proud to work for a company that listens and then acts on the feedback.
IW: There will be more generations in the workplace than ever before. Each with its own expectations and needs from an employer. How do you try to fulfil all of them?
MW: I think we are all in the learning curve on this one. We need to really take the time to understand generational differences first. Bank of America has an Intergenerational Network of over 33,000 members across the globe who host a variety of events to help each other better understand generational differences. As leaders, I think we need to be cognizant of the differences and be smart enough not to put everyone in a box. From my perspective the best way to navigate this gap is to bring the generations together in the context of work and getting to know one another.
IW: To say we’ve seen a lot of change in the past two years would be an understatement. We want you to get your crystal ball out and predict what will be the top priorities for people choosing an employer over the next 5 years?
MW: Here is what I think will be a focus as people seek out employers over the next five years in no particular order:
- Companies with a clear sense of purpose that strike the right balance in terms of shareholder value, taking care of their communities and employees.
- Employers on the cutting edge of technology. Are they embracing and incorporating new technology and innovation
- Career growth and pathing. Employees want to know they can grow and expand in role and I get a sense they want this to be more dynamic in nature to include more learning in the moment and upskilling
- Work/Life benefits and resources to support employees, their families and ability to care for them while ensuring they have time to enjoy life outside of work
- Work with meaning and tangible outcomes. Continued understanding of work they do and its intrinsic value to the goals and objectives of the company’s mission, values, and culture.