Growing Our Own

Have you ever grown your own vegetables? It takes hands-on work and time, but there is a certain satisfaction you get from nurturing them from seed to full-grown plant. There are also environmental and nutritional benefits. And they seem to taste better than the ones you buy at the store. We believe in a similar approach when it comes to talent.

We recognized the benefits of growing our own talent a long time ago and developed our Associate Program to address our growing need for talent that fits our culture. Our plan from day one has been to find really talented people and integrate them into a culture that engages and inspires them. We can teach and develop the skills needed for each role. It’s much more difficult to teach talent and cultural fit.

With this in mind, our Associate Program is very similar to an apprenticeship or physician residency. The roles for the program are focused on our Client-Centric Team. Specifically, we have been strengthening that team over the years with Wealth Management and Trust Relationship Associates that will grow into Wealth Management Advisors and Trust Relationship Officers. The associates typically have an academic background and a few years of work experience in our industry. Upon hiring, they are thoughtfully paired with an experienced Wealth Management Advisor or Trust Relationship Officer depending on their role. They work directly alongside their mentors and learn technical skills as well as practical, real-world insights into client care. The 3–5-year program also allows us to invest in their continued education, provide them with hands-on training, and develop their knowledge set with diverse experiences. The design is to ensure that they have long careers at Greenleaf Trust. Since we began the program 12 years ago, we have had seven teammates grow into either Wealth Management Advisors or Trust Relationship Officers. Today we have 14 associates in the program in four different locations in Michigan.

The benefits we have experienced from the program have been measurable. First, the program allows us to develop the proper skills in associates that serve our clients best. We can better mitigate the impact of old habits from different employment experiences that can accompany more senior professionals. The length of the program also helps us ensure there is a cultural fit with the associate. We have seen engagement scores increase across the organization with the attention and commitment from senior teammates in the development of associates. And as we all become more “experienced”, succession planning becomes more and more important to make sure clients, and their families receive the right continuity of service. Finally, the investment we all make in the associates is recognized with loyalty and commitment to our mission.