You should be committed!(employee development)

• Author: Hillert, Martin A., Jr.

Got your attention? The title of this article is a phrase sometimes directed at me by some of my associates, especially when I'm pitching a new idea that seems so far fetched that it appears to be out of the realm of possibility. In our part of the country this saying generally means that you should be committed to an institution that deals with folks possessing crazy ideas.

My response to such a pronouncement is, "I am committed." That is, I am committed to the cooperative principles and for that reason, some of those crazy ideas about members, directors, community and employees turn out to be worthwhile projects that benefit at least one, and many times all of those groups. What is the key to success? I believe it is good, consistent communication--internal and external.

Employee Development Yields Benefits for All

I believe success begins with strong employee communication and development initiatives. Like many cooperatives with offices located in rural communities, Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative has a goodly share of the talented employees in the area. Cooperative employees are highly involved in their local schools, government, churches and community service organizations--many times serving in leadership positions. Many perceptive CEOs recognize that the cooperative organization has an impact, either directly or indirectly, on their employees' leadership qualities. Many have taken the initiative to provide additional training for their employees. And those initiatives do pay off in better member relations.

The Internal University

One example of employee development that we have begun is a program we call the ACECU (Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative University). It's an idea "borrowed" from other organizations that is working well for us. ACECU is an ongoing training program for supervisory employees that incorporates both internal orientation and job cross training. The program focuses on skill building for supervisors, public speaking, training in evaluation of subordinates, goal setting, and a myriad of additional subjects that our "class" has yet to suggest we consider. Groups of three or more supervisors, each from a different department within our organization, work together as teams to tackle each project assignment. For example, the first "project" assigned to these diverse teams was to develop and deliver a presentation on assigned subjects--subjects that they do not encounter as part of their routine duties at the...