driving change: getting your employees out of gridlock and your business into the fast lane

Driving Change

Heather Prime, ABC Manager of Employee CommunicationsBritish Columbia Automobile Association

Getting your employees out of gridlock and your business into the fast lane

IABC International Conference - Vancouver, 2006

Every road trip generates a good story…

1. Why BCAA needed to engage its employees like never before

3. How we used face-to-facecommunications to engage them

3. Our results and 10 tips worth driving home

BCAA Today … much more than an auto club

B.C.’s largest member services organization:

• Road Assist & Member Services, Travel Agency, Insurance Agency

• 755,000-plus members

• 24 Sales Centres & 2 telephone centres

• $2.9-million operating profit in 2005

• Consistently rank #1 or 2 in B.C. for “overall favourable impression”

• 69% employee engagement (within “Best Employer” range) in 2005

BCAA’s people are diverse

BCAA’s people are diverse

• 1,000-plus employees: 70% women & 60% in Sales Division

• 22% unionized & 6% management

• 41% aged 45 to 64 years

• Average length of service: 9 yrs – staff & 11 yrs - management

• Diverse professional “personalities” & mixture of readiness to accept change, but …

BCAA’s people share …

• A strong sense of pride in working for a “good corporate citizen”

• A preference for interactive face-to-face communications

• A learning style — visual and experiential

We thrive on teamwork and fun!

BCAA turned the corner in 2001

• Car-focused to customer-focused

• Reactive service to proactive sales

• Not-for-profit to profit-driven

• But … it was time to pick up speed

Vision 2010. A new vision for a new century.

Growth — Bold, Aggressive, Smart

750,000-plus members > 890,000-plus members

24 Sales Centres > 35 Sales Centres & more

50 savings partners > 100 savings partners

No financial services > Consumer loans & more

$3-million profit > $15-million profit

We begin our journey …

Management Council in Spring 2005

• Storytelling and “just imagine” skits

• Break-out groups to tackle heart & head issues

• Q & A with senior management

• Followed by a period of “leaking” the Vision to staff

This is great but …

• Does bigger really mean better?

• Is this too much, too fast? Can we really achieve this?

• Is this just about the $$$? Will this compromise our values?

• What is my role?

• What’s in it for me? How can I grow, too?

Our goals for engaging employees

At least 75% of staff & 85% of management say they

• Are well informed of Vision 2010

• See a link between BCAA’s 2006 and 2010 goals

• Understand how BCAA will get from here to 2010

• Understand how their job relates to helping BCAA grow and reach 2010

• Feel excited about our Vision for 2010

Fall Road Trip: Let’s get street smart

• New meeting format & “drivers”

• New tools

• New attitude

And absolutely no PowerPoint!

2 months, 30 facilitators, 47 meetings

Every road trip needs a good map

Road Map

Every road trip needs a good driver

Good facilitators aren’t born. They’re made.

• The right tools

• The right training

• The time and space to practice in a “safe place”

A close call with a roadblock

• “I have more important things to do with my time.”

• “These meetings won’t achieve our objectives.”

• “These tools are too basic.”

What they’re really saying … “I’m scared.”

Five minutes to midnight some facilitators complained:

We exceeded our goals …

90% said they are well or highly informed of Vision 2010

99% said they see a link between our 2006 and

2010 goals

98% said they understand how BCAA will get from

here to 2010

97% said they understand how their job relates to

helping BCAA grow and reach 2010

95% said they feel excited about our Vision for 2010

Facilitators answered their own survey

• 100% agreed that they felt adequately prepared to facilitate

• 100% agreed that staff obtained adequate information on Vision 2010

• 100% agreed that acting as a facilitator was a good use of their time

10 tips worth driving home

1. Know your audience & appeal to the heart as much as to the head

2. Measure

3. Don’t be afraid to “leak” information early

4. Don’t underestimate the power of “high touch” communication in a high-tech world

5. Expect the unexpected

10 tips worth driving home

6. Support & train your communication leads

7. Consult and use the experts in your midst

8. Be prepared for the fear factor

9. Measure again

10. The end is only the beginning

Questions before we hit the road?