#PeopleFirst Culture: Embracing Collaboration, Innovation and Giving Back

By Bobbie Elder, Talent Acquisition Partner, and Curtis Moore, Diversity Sourcing Business Partner

In a world where financial institutions often stick to traditional norms and hierarchical structures, Choice Bank aims to stand out. With our unique and vibrant #PeopleFirst culture, we believe that our people are our greatest asset, and we’ve cultivated a workplace culture that reflects this.

Choice Bank’s #PeopleFirst culture is more than just a catchphrase – it provides the framework for everything we do. Above all, Choice prioritizes the well-being, needs, and development of its employees. And unlike traditional banks, we’ve intentionally built a culture that celebrates our employees, encourages collaboration, and fosters an environment of continuous growth and learning.

Key Attributes of Our Culture

At the heart of our culture are several key attributes that define who we are and what we stand for.

Everyone is a Leader: We’ve discarded the old-school hierarchy playbook. At Choice Bank, we’re all part of the same team, working together for a bigger cause. We believe that the name on the front of the jersey is a whole lot more important than the name on the back. We see everyone as a potential leader in their own unique way.

One specific way that we empower everyone to be a leader is through our Choice Leadership program. Choice Leadership is a half-day retreat where we bring our employees together to learn and refine our day-to-day approach to people skills. This includes guidance for providing direct feedback and recognition, leading teams through change, reflecting on how our natural leadership styles can help and hinder our leadership, and gaining tools to more effectively lead and coach others.

Challenge Culture: We value the voices of our team members. Your ideas and opinions matter, and we love it when you challenge the norm in a respectful manner. If something doesn’t feel right, we want our employees to speak up and share their critical feedback with us so we can become a better business. Embracing diversity, we believe that by listening to different voices and questioning the way things are done, we can grow and succeed as a team.

Collaboration and Professional Development: Collaboration is the lifeblood of Choice Bank’s culture. It’s essential to our success as a People First bank. One of the ways we foster collaboration is by utilizing video phones and video conferencing at all our locations, making it easier for team members to collaborate and build relationships across our growing organization.

Our flat organizational structure also fosters collaboration among team members in varying positions and departments, encouraging quicker decision-making and well-informed solution development. At Choice, we believe that collaboration means everyone is a resource to everyone.

One of the best elements of our culture is the ability to never stop growing, learning, leading, and mentoring. We empower our employees to take responsibility for their own personal and professional development by providing opportunities to learn and network with others.

Professional coaching opportunities are provided to Choice employees in a variety of capacities and are designed to provide an atmosphere of support for continued development and encouragement of new ideas, approaches, and strategies. Choice employees also have weekly one-on-one meetings with their supervisor to discuss growth opportunities and challenges, as well as collaborate on projects and solutions. We know when to ask for help and when to offer it – a true testament to our team spirit.

Feedback Mindset: Feedback isn’t just a one-way street; it’s a two-way journey. Our organization is built on a feedback mindset. We believe that mastery of giving and receiving feedback is how we grow and evolve. We view failures as opportunities for learning, growth and constructive feedback paving the way for greater success.

Giving Back: As a community bank, we prioritize giving back to the communities we serve. Choice Bank encourages its employees to engage with their communities and volunteer. We support causes that matter to our team members. It is important to us to not only support the causes and communities where there is a Choice location, but to also support the communities where our virtual team members live across the nation. From initiatives like serving homeless youth to granting wishes in our Wishing Well, and our employee volunteer opportunities, we believe in leveraging our unique strengths and passions to make a difference.

Dress for Your Day: We embrace change by redefining the traditional banking dress code. Our flexible dress code policy allows employees to dress comfortably while aligning with customer expectations. We recognize the importance of understanding and catering to our customers’ needs.

Learning Opportunities: We believe in investing in the continued growth of our employees. That’s why we offer many opportunities for education and connection for employees. From book clubs to educational webinars and networking events, Choice wants to help you grow into the best person you can be.

For employees in their first year of employment, Choice University offers a unique opportunity to connect with senior leadership, learn about our company’s history, values, and future direction and gain a deeper understanding of our culture and core values.

Our #PeopleFirst culture at Choice Bank has positively impacted many, especially those who have experienced more traditional and rigid work environments. Here, employees have found a place where they can be open, vulnerable and safe to share their thoughts and experiences in becoming leading #PeopleFirst partners.

At Choice Bank, we believe that it’s our people who make the real difference. Our #PeopleFirst culture is not just a tagline; it’s our way of life.

Written by:

Bobbie Elder
Talent Acquisition Partner
Eagan, Minnesota
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Curtis Moore
Diversity Sourcing Business Partner
Virtual Team – Minnesota
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