Psychological Associates Helps CFNA Fulfill
a New Vision for Future Growth

Can the entire culture of a company be changed? If an organization is headed the wrong way, what does it take to create a climate where meaningful change can take hold and get everyone pulling in a new direction?

One requirement is visionary leadership — someone who not only has an idea of what needs to be done, but understands that it will only be accomplished by increasing the competencies of its people — both their business skills and their communication and collaborative skills. In 2001, Al Policy was asked to head up Credit First National Association (CFNA), the consumer credit division of Bridgestone/Firestone, headquartered in Cleveland. Policy was a 27-year-veteran leader from Bridgestone/Firestone. When he arrived at CFNA, the strategic direction, in his words, consisted of “managing the decline.”

However, Policy and his bosses assessed CFNA and concluded that it had loads of potential. So, a sound business strategy was formulated to leverage the strong consumer loyalty that already existed for Bridgestone/Firestone. To maximize that potential, Policy realized he needed to change CFNA’s climate. He found departmental siloing, very little teamwork, a lack of leadership, and not much discussion about customers and growth of the business. As an indication of how unpleasant the environment was when he started, Policy’s first step was simple: “I began by saying, ‘Good morning’ and asking people how they were.”

Policy made the necessary changes in upper management to bring together a team that could lead a turnaround. “But there was a gap between potential and demonstrated ability. These individuals were capable of doing a lot, but they didn’t know yet quite how to do it.” Specifically, they had trouble interacting and managing others. People skills were lacking.

Bringing Psychological Associates on Board
From ground zero, Policy enlisted the help of Dr. Joe Cangemi, a professor
of psychology & behavioral science at Western Kentucky University. He was an effective coach, and counseled Policy’s team in leadership. To get a better handle on changing the people side of CFNA, Cangemi recommended that Policy meet with Psychological Associates (PA). After conferring with Policy’s senior team in early 2005, PA presented a summary profile of CFNA’s current state and a range of solutions for moving the organization toward better leadership through people skills.

“What PA was saying was right in my wheelhouse,” Policy said, “not only from a personal point of view, but I could see how beneficial their ideas could be. These were all things we needed to build on to accomplish our goals.”

In particular, what impressed Policy at that meeting was the overview of PA’s Dimensional^® Model of Behavior^™ and the foundation steps to becoming more collaborative. “It was important in CFNA’s development for our team to be candid among ourselves,” Policy said. This was vital because, at the time, the senior management group was establishing four operating areas of excellence: information technology, sales and marketing, operations, and finance administration.

Policy feels that of the 113 permanent positions in his organization, about 50 are really the drivers and the core needed to grow CFNA. This group became the focus of a wide range of solutions from PA. For instance, most of this group, including Policy, took part in PA’s comprehensive executive assessment process. Policy observed, “That has proven to be better than getting them an MBA. These individuals are active learners and enthused about growing our business. The assessment was a jumping off point for them to begin and then continue to build other skills and capabilities.”

This same group also attended PA’s flagship workshop, LEADERSHIP THROUGH PEOPLE SKILLS^®. The hallmark of LTPS is for participants to bring from their jobs a real-life case and practice their communication skills at the seminar. This makes learning come alive, since participants are role-playing the actual, difficult conversations they need to have back at the office.

Policy’s senior team has also participated in team-building sessions, as well as a problem-solving/decision-making process called DETERMINATION. In addition, PA has conducted sessions in executive coaching, consulting, and mentoring.

By delivering a multi-faceted but integrated approach, PA provides a core of learning and a common language which Policy feels is building a critical mass of skills. “These skills tend to be contagious.” Posters in strategic locations around CFNA’s offices help create an environment that reinforces the foundation tools and skills that underlie all PA Dimensional^® programs.

How Is It Working Out?
Placards and workshops are not proof that the culture has actually changed. Policy considered the question of the programs making a difference. “In just a few years, we
have gone from an atmosphere of cold indifference to a more interested, in-depth understanding of other people’s needs.” This was particularly important when the four centers of excellence were developed to reorganize CFNA. Each center can make its
best contribution to the company by understanding what the other centers’ needs are from a business point of view. “But to get to the business issues, we’ve had to create the ability to talk about unsavory conflicts in order to resolve them. The skills PA concentrates on enable an organization to manage the emotions associated with coming to a quality resolution. It’s a way of finding that third solution that’s richer than either yours or mine.” To that end, he noted that there is a lot less siloing today.

Attracting Better Talent
Cleveland is not typically thought of as a banking center. However, Policy believes that creating a unique organization with a personal appeal that can’t be duplicated will attract top-line talent in the credit industry. A collaborative culture that brings everyone on board builds an “employment brand” for attracting future talent to CFNA. By investing in people, CFNA will provide an appealing message to recruits: “We will respect you as an individual, we’ll listen to you and help you. We will invest in your development,” says Policy. “You will work in an environment that isn’t as ‘dog eat dog’ as others, but you will learn how to deal with the ‘dog eat dog’ [attitude] without becoming that way.”

Bottom Line Business Results?
What evidence is there that what’s good for the corporate culture translates into business results? Policy points out that since the emphasis on collaboration and people skills was initiated, profits have continuously grown. Policy also notes that in a transactional business like CFNA’s, it’s normally difficult to find new areas for productivity improvement. Yet, as people learn how to discuss conflicting agendas in a non-confrontational way and bring conflicts to resolution, productivity goes up. “Where you might have had to add 10 people, you only have to add six because you’ve gotten rid of the unproductive background noise. Instead of factional infighting, leaders can turn their focus to business issues that need to be resolved for our company to grow.”

PA’s Ongoing Role
Policy believes in having a strong learning program for employees, and that it’s most effective to find that expertise outside of the organization. He has in place three legs of the stool, as he puts it, to guide CFNA’s leaders in determining their future success: Fitzgerald Analytics, a business strategy consultancy that helps CFNA to navigate the tricky waters of consumer credit; Joe Cangemi, long-time coach and consultant; and Psychological Associates.

But what was it that made him decide on PA? “PA’s resources are among the best I’ve ever come in contact with. Their Dimensional management can become a way of life, as opposed to being just a gimmick. Their programs are worth an investment in the workplace because they translate into people’s personal lives. If their experiences at work make their lives better, people will stick with us as the employer of choice.” Policy added that a number of managers who have left CFNA would like to come back. They want to be in on the exciting challenge of growing CFNA from $30 million in operating profit to $100 million.

To reach that goal, CFNA is meeting the challenge of changing its culture. Better communication and collaboration is helping CFNA to reach its business goals, and Psychological Associates is proud to be a partner in that effort.

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