Independent Banker - December 2023 - 36

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$251M-$500M
FLINT COMMUNITY BANK
MEMBERS OF A FAMILY
BY WILLIAM ATKINSON
t Flint Community Bank in
Albany, Ga., commitment to
employee satisfaction comes from
the top. It's right there in its mission
statement: " We will set ourselves
A
apart as the employer of choice. "
" The center thought of our vision
statement is to value relationships,
starting with our employees, "
says Scott Tomlinson, CEO of the
$315 million‑asset community bank.
" If we are successful in this effort,
our customers, stockholders and
community will feel all of that, as it is
passed on by our employees. "
The board and management
make good on this commitment
by making themselves available
to team members. " Cultivating
an environment of family and
empowerment allows us to have
constant and open communication
with our team, " says Jason Rooks,
chief lending officer, senior vice
president. " We want to hear new ideas
and ways to reinvent the standard
of what we do. We also offer an
anonymous online suggestion box to
our team members. "
Management responds accordingly,
whether it be a new idea or an area of
concern. " Knowing that we put them
first helps create a culture of trust and
respect, " Rooks says.
Providing career opportunities
" In terms of training, our bank
supervisors observe their 'Flint Family'
members and design a specific training
plan as needed for the employee, "
Flint Community Bank
Albany, Ga.
$315 million
flint.bank
says Frank Griffin, president. Since
Flint Community Bank does not want
to be limited to its internal training
resources, it often makes use of training
offered through the Community
Bankers Association of Georgia, ICBA
and the Barret School of Banking.
The community bank launched its
mentoring initiative, the Professional
Keeping employees satisfied
Flint Community Bank prides itself on its creativity when it comes to
employee satisfaction. " We have been very intentional in crafting our
service culture here, " says Jason Rooks, chief lending officer, senior
vice president. " One of the ways we are intentional and set apart in
our culture is our small group initiative. "
Small groups range in size from eight to 10 team members
and vary among tenure, management level and department. " We
meet once a month to ... discuss a leadership book, a leadership
concept or our core values, " Rooks says. " This gives our team a way
to process and discuss our culture in an open environment and
connect our new employees to our team immediately. "
and vary among tenure, management level and department. " We
meet once a month to ... discuss a leadership book, a leadership
concept or our core values, " Rooks says. " This gives our team a way
to process and discuss our culture in an open environment and
connect our new employees to our team immediately. "
Keeping employees satisfied
While most community banks are committed to the " basics " of
employee satisfaction, Flint Community Bank prides itself on its
creativity. " We have been very intentional to craft our service culture
here, " says Jason Rooks, chief lending officer, senior vice president.
" One of the ways we are intentional and set apart in our culture is our
small group initiative. "
Small groups range in size from eight to 10 team members
Development Program, five years ago.
" Within this program, we identify team
members who have either expressed an
interest in or have shown the potential
for growth within our organization, "
says Kim Colby, senior vice president,
retail banking manager. " We then put
a development plan into place that will
revolve around one‑year, three‑year
and five‑year goals. "
Within each of those goals are
milestones to achieve, as well as
training opportunities in other
departments of the bank. " Working
in conjunction with the training
opportunities, we also focus on
personal development, such as
emotional intelligence, presentation
36 // ICBA Independent Banker // December 2023
Independent Banker - December 2023

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