Dear Rosilyn: What is our culture?
In her ongoing signature advice column called "Dear Rosilyn," BBVA Compass Chief Talent & Culture Executive Rosilyn Houston answers career-related questions from the bank’s team members. In her latest edition, she helps shed light on BBVA Compass’ culture and how the bank's employees help shape it.
BBVA Compass Team Member: Dear Rosilyn, how do I ask questions or gain insight into our culture? What are the best ways for us to get this information from leaders? How do we firmly define culture at BBVA Compass, and what does management think it is, and how can we shape it?
Houston: Dear team member, these are all great questions. It’s always refreshing to come across engaged employees who are interested in knowing more about the bank. As far as our culture, it’s created and defined by all of us by working together as one team, supporting each other with big ideas and treating our customers like our number one priority. After all, it was the input from employees across BBVA’s footprint that led us to our statement of purpose: to bring the age of opportunity to everyone.
Houston: When we declare what we believe and what we want our organization to look and feel like, and then commit to acting on it, we’re creating our company culture.
How we work together every day — the things we do for our customers, the way we treat our colleagues, the way we emotionally connect to the bank and our brand — is what brings our culture to life. This is where our values, and their related behaviors (which were also created by listening to team members), come into play. When we declare what we believe and what we want our organization to look and feel like, and then commit to acting on it, we’re creating our company culture.
Houston: Our culture is not mandated as a top-down initiative from leadership, but defined by our individual and collective actions, habits, behaviors, and shared perception
Thinking Big: BBVA Compass employees frequently hold impromptu meetings in the bank's open and collaborative work spaces.
Our culture is not mandated as a top-down initiative from leadership, but defined by our individual and collective actions, habits, behaviors, and shared perception of what our brand represents internally and externally. In other words, each of us plays a key role in shaping our company culture. We expect our leaders to raise the bar and set an example for us all.
When I stepped into the role of Chief Talent & Culture Executive in 2015, we created a road map of programs and initiatives to help cultivate an environment that puts people before strategy, which has served as a cultural declaration of our own. As a result, we’ve created new learning and development opportunities for team members and developed employee-friendly systems and work tools. We’re also exploring enhanced standards for leadership behaviors, creating new tools to collect employee feedback on how to improve the bank, and revising our compensation programs to be more relevant to the way that we work today.
One Team: Collaborative work spaces and recharge areas create opportunities for employees to conveniently connect and engage with one another.
In addition, we enhanced many of our leave policies, such as maternity and family leave, short-term disability, bereavement leave, and voluntary unpaid leave. We’re also communicating with employees using transparent language and working to reduce information overload. And, our workplace diversity and inclusion efforts help ensure that all employees feel welcomed, valued, heard, and respected.
Our Talent & Culture team is the engine that drives our culture, and we are committed to promoting the evolution of programs, policies, procedures, and processes to make our purpose true and to build the brand identity that we can all be proud to represent.
Houston: Our purpose, 'to bring the age of opportunity to everyone,' means we’re working to do far more than sell our products and services
Our purpose, “to bring the age of opportunity to everyone,” means we’re working to do far more than sell our products and services — we’re striving for service excellence delivered through a strong commitment to all people. The goal is for us to view our jobs not merely as work but as a means to help our customers and colleagues have a better quality of life. When we do this, then we will succeed in ways we can’t even imagine. We’ll have a highly engaged and committed workforce where team members have a strong emotional connection with the bank, and where we’re able to attract the very best talent and continuously improve the way we do business.
