Mountain America Credit Union Receives Association of Talent Development BEST Award
BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success as a result of employee training and development
Mountain America Credit Union received the Association for Talent Development BEST Award for its success in building talent enterprise wide and strategically driving a talent development culture that delivers results.
“Our talent strategy is directly tied to our business strategy of providing our members with an exceptional experience every time they interact with us,” said Sterling Nielsen, president and CEO of Mountain America Credit Union. “We hire and develop people who are passionate about our mission, and we align all of our talent development initiatives to this end.”
Established in 2003, the BEST Awards Winners' Circle includes small and large private, public, and not-for-profit organizations from around the world. Award recipients show excellence in four key aspects, including ensuring talent development has an enterprise-wide role, the value learning has in the organization’s culture, providing employees access to individual and organizational performance and investing in talent development and performance initiatives. Mountain America's talent strategy focuses on building from within starting in its branches, service centers, and other customer-facing roles and then extending to mid- to senior-level leaders. The credit union purposefully reviews and trains talent to match to key positions related to current business scenarios and emerging trends. Leaders provide formal talent reviews twice a year to ensure employees at all levels are nurtured and receive customized development experiences that include assignments as key means of on-the-job development.
“At Mountain America we’ve invested significant resources into developing our people,” said Aaron Brown, vice president of talent development at Mountain America Credit Union. “Since January 2022, 97% of our leaders have completed intensive leadership training, including informal mentoring, job shadowing and cross-training, attendance at leadership workshops, and other formal leadership education opportunities.”
Mountain America team members’ progress is measured against their goals through regular one-on-ones and quarterly check-ins between leaders and their team members. During these meetings, leaders provide clear feedback and frequent coaching.
The credit union created an extensive recognition program where employees receive recognitions through a variety of initiatives like Top of the Mountain, which awards excellence within sales and member service, the organization-wide High 5 program, which allows leaders and peers to send notes of appreciation and employer-funded Amazon Bucks to one another and the Sterling Silver awards that are given to employees who exemplify the credit union’s values in their day-to-day work.
To learn more about Mountain America Credit Union, visit macu.com.
