Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

We credit unions love us some ratios! 

ROA. Delinquency ratios. Fixed asset ratios. Efficiency ratios. The list is long, and important. If you know your ratios and track them, you can see trends jump off the paper.

But not everything can be boiled down into a ratio. And that's too bad. Because I'd love to see the following ratios put into play.

Negative energy ratio. This ratio measures how often an employee brings a Debbie Downer attitude into a discussion. This is measured by dividing the number of negative/gloomy/whining comments by total workplace interactions. Anything approaching .25 or higher should entitle a prompt corrective action. 

Gotcha ratio. This ratio measures how often a colleague helps you, while zinging you at the same time. You're not sure whether to say thank you or curse after such interactions  "Paul, can you send me the results from that audit?"  "Sure, Tina - you mean the results I emailed you three days ago?" "Yep, Paul - you got me! Those are the ones." The ratio has a risk-based component - weighing gotcha's more heavily if given in a public setting or during a crisis.

Life preserver ratio. This ratio measures how often an employee fixes a problem versus how often the run to another employee to have a problem fixed. A high ratio means the employee is a self-starter with responsibility. A low ratio means that other employees grimace when they see your extension ringing their phone. 

The "I'm sorry, what did you say" ratio? This ratio measures how often an employee comments about something off-topic during a meeting. This could be called the "Demangone Ratio" at NAFCU. I have a bad habit of hearing a comment that gets me thinking. By the time I mention something, that topic is about 10 minutes old. My hand goes up. The conversation halts. Eyes roll. If you hear "we're getting off-topic here" after you speak on a regular basis, you may need to work on this ratio.

The Problem/Thought ratio. This ratio measure how much thought a person has given to a problem before they discuss it with a supervisor. A high ratio would correspond with an employee who has identified a problem and thought about every possible solution, as well as a recommended course of action to fix it. A low ratio would be found with employees who use an auto-forward rule with problems. When a problem comes to them, it simply is forwarded on with little or no thought.

The Anti-Aircraft Gun Ratio. The higher the ratio, the more likely the employee loves to shoot down foreign ideas. This is also risk weighted, with a heavier emphasis given to shooting down ideas in public, or with a condescending tone. 

I'm sure I'm missing a few ratios.  Shoot me a note if any others come to mind. Have a great Thursday, everyone!