Keep calm and carry on” is not just a saying on a coffee mug buthow Michele DeBuhr, vice president of consumer creditadministration at Portland, Ore.-based OnPoint Community CreditUnion lives.

“I try really hard not to sweat the small stuff and just takeeverything as it comes because I know we'll get it done, and we'lldo it well,” said DeBuhr who up until just recently served as thevice president organization effectiveness at OnPoint. “I'm aboutlet's focus on the reason we are here and we'll make itthrough.”

When she started at the credit union 17 years ago, DeBuhr didn'thave plans to stay with the credit union long term.

“Honestly, I didn't plan to stick around for long,” said DeBuhr.“But working with people to help them broaden their understandingand seeing that moment when it happens that was it for me. To knowthat what we do, no matter how mundane it could be, like Reg Ztraining for example, it all boils down to the members experienceand how we can help that to be amazing.”

With the belief that every connection with a member is importantno matter how small, DeBuhr said ultimately it's the employees whoare the brand. Her take on training has been aimed at building,constantly reinforcing a culture that inspires and develops leaderswho focus on finding the best solutions for members.

“OnPoint isn't a place, a website or a product. OnPoint is acollection of individuals that work as a team to provide memberswith amazing service and beneficial relationships,” said DeBuhr. “Ithink that people come to me asking, 'Can we do this?' and myanswer is 'You can do anything you want, just know what thepotential consequences are.' By giving people the flexibility,leverage and space to own, give input and think about things in adifferent way, it inspires them to take that empowerment and runwith it. I can't tell someone what to do to save my life. I'm notthat type of person, but I want to help them find those ideas theyhave and feel comfortable enough to move ahead with them. Sometimespeople just look to someone with a certain title thinking, 'Oh, sheor he will decide.' That's not how you get to great solutions.People grow by questioning and realizing they have the power to dosomething to deliver real change.”

DeBuhr wished more human resource/training departments wouldchange their perspective in evaluating their own policies andprocedures. 

“How about asking what can a new hire do on day one,” saidDeBuhr. “A lot of new hire programs go on for months before theyget on the job. Why not let them do something on day one. So for ateller it could be balancing a check or counting the vault,something active and connected so they go home saying, 'I made acontribution.' If they can feel connected and feel, they arecontributing to the credit union from their first day it can helpthem enjoy the job better.”

She added that when it comes to training, more credit unionsneed to look within and across all departments to find subjectmatter experts and let them share.

“It's time to decentralize training,” said DeBuhr. “Everyone hassome knowledge to share, it's not exclusive to just the trainingdepartment. So stop limiting it, instead look around, ask who cantrain this? When people talk about hiring more young professionalsinto credit unions, the biggest incentive is that they want to beable to contribute and be heard. Think about it. If we want to drawpeople with the talent, great innovation potential, then we mustbuild or have a culture that extracts or encourages that. A creditunion can be as innovative as any other organization but we have tobe willing to listen and let people off the leash a bit.”

She said that the old model of classroom training is expensive,time-consuming and outdated. With the concept that people learnmore by doing and experiencing as opposed to sitting in a roomreading a one-size-fits-all procedure manual, DeBuhr added a peermentoring program to the array of customized training that OnPointCommunity provides. 

Based simply on teaching what you know, OnPoint has a peermentor in each of the branches and departments. 

The peer mentoring program for new employees begins after theycomplete a brief credit union orientation and are matched with apeer mentor in their department or branch. Together the peer mentorand the new employee set up a learning plan and training that isrelevant to the position and simple to comprehend. According toDeBuhr, staffers create their own scripts and build processesorganically–experiencing real-life member situations, sharing bestpractices, resources and understanding why certain scenarios arethe way they are. 

“The peer mentoring has been great on so many levels, one isonboarding new hires, the other has been the professional andpersonal growth of mentors,” said DeBuhr. 

Those interested in becoming mentors spend time via onlinesessions once a month for a year learning how to effectively mentorpeers.

“In every branch it also gives the mentors that big pictureconnection of what we do matters to the bottom line of theorganization,” said DeBuhr. “Many have gone into differentpositions from teller to lending representative or supervisorypositions. That's not what was intended when we started this butit's what has been happening. People feel empowered regardless ofwhat their title is and new employees have a trusted friend andresource.”

She pointed to her own recent promotion as an example that theculture at OnPoint is more than just hype.

“It's really one of the many examples that showcase the learningenvironment here at OnPoint, that people who think in an innovativeway, with a strong work ethic and are willing do what it takes todo things well and better the member experience can get ahead,”said DeBuhr. “The past 17 years have gone by in a blip, and I'venever been bored. Sometimes early in our careers, we don't giveourselves enough credit and are left feeling like we just have towait and something will happen. It really is up to us. Everyemployee has to make those decisions, take action, recognize thosementors around you and as Jim Armstrong, the head of HR here toldme, 'Go slow to go fast.'”

She added that a change in perspective could also help theindustry as a whole.

“I think sometimes we get caught up in the definition of what acredit union is to the point that it becomes an adjective as in,'Doing XYZ isn't very credit union-like,” said DeBuhr. “I think aslong as we stay true to our charters and remember that as amember-owned organization, the members' needs direct our visionthen we as an industry can do anything we want to.  To mebeing a credit union means that our mission is to benefit ourmembers' financial well being. There are so many ways to do that.Not a credit union way or a bank way. We might not do what'sultimately right for the member if we only think of solutions interms of a credit union way. It's more important to think in termsof having more questions than statements and along the lines ofwhat if.”