What Happens When 40 Employees Build Their Own Service Code (Spoiler: Magic)
From Dr. Tracey C. Jones, T3 Solutions
Last week, I walked into Priority First Federal Credit Union in DuBois, Pennsylvania, with a challenge: help 40+ employees across seven branches articulate and strengthen ONE consistent service standard—so every member receives the same exceptional experience, no matter which branch they visit.
Not a poster on the wall. Not corporate jargon no one remembers. A real, lived-in-the-trenches Service Code that guides every member interaction—whether you're at the teller window, on the phone, or meeting someone in crisis.
Here's what happened when we stopped telling people what to do and started asking them to discover what they already knew.
The Setup: Values Without Action Are Just Words
Priority First has six core organizational values that guide their culture and member service. Each value represents a deep commitment to both their members and to each other.
But like many organizations experiencing growth, they wanted to fully integrate these values into daily behavior across seven branches with different histories, different personalities, and teams coming together.
So we didn't lecture about their values. We didn't hand them a script.
We asked them to discover what each value looks like in real life.
The Process:
Six Stations, Real Scenarios, Co-Creation
We set up six scenario stations around the room—one for each of their core values. Each station had a real member-facing challenge:
Station 1: A frustrated member who's been transferred twice says, "Nobody is listening to me!" What are the first three things you'd SAY? How do you show you're truly listening when you're busy and there's a line?
Station 2: A member juggling multiple loans with varying interest rates. What questions help you see their full financial picture? How do you introduce solutions without being pushy?
Station 3: A member asks for a loan they don't qualify for. How do you explain the "why" with transparency? How do you keep the door open for future opportunities?
Station 4: A member is wrong about their account balance and becoming argumentative. How do you show respect when someone is factually incorrect? How do you preserve their dignity while correcting them?
Station 5: A member comes to your window visibly upset—they just lost a family member who had accounts with the credit union. What are the first three things you would SAY? How do you balance empathy with gently guiding them through next steps?
Station 6: How do you build ONE Priority First culture across seven branches when you've never met half your colleagues? What does teamwork look like beyond your 9-to-5?
Groups of 6-7 rotated through three stations each, spending eight minutes wrestling with each question.
No theoretical answers. No corporate speak. Just real talk from people who live this work every day.
The Magic Moment:
"It's Like They're Talking About Us!"
Halfway through the rotations, I heard laughter from one group.
A woman said, "It's like they're talking about us!"
Everyone laughed—not because it was uncomfortable, but because it was real. The scenarios reflected their actual daily challenges. And instead of feeling called out, they felt seen.
That's when I knew we'd hit it.
When people see themselves in the work, they own it. When they own it, transformation sticks.
What They Brought to Life: Their Service Code
After the scenario stations, we harvested their insights. For each of their core values, they identified specific, actionable behaviors that defined what excellent service looks like at Priority First.
I won't share their exact Service Code here—that's their proprietary work, developed specifically for their culture and their members.
But I will tell you this: it was brilliant. Specific enough to guide real decisions. Flexible enough to feel authentic, not scripted. And 100% theirs. As I captured their insights during the debrief, you could feel the energy shift. This wasn't "corporate's thing." This was THEIRS.
That's the power of co-creation.
Why Co-Creation Works
(And Top-Down Mandates Don't)
Here's what I've learned after decades of leadership training:
You can't mandate culture. You can only cultivate it.
When employees articulate their Service Code themselves:
They own it (it's not "corporate's thing"—it's THEIRS)
It's authentic (real language, real scenarios, real solutions)
It's sustainable (they know WHY each behavior matters because they discovered it)
It spreads organically (peer-to-peer accountability is stronger than any policy)
The Priority First team didn't just list behaviors. They developed shared language and common ground across seven branches, bringing together different teams into one unified culture.
One Service Code. One culture. One Priority First.
Three Principles You Can Apply Today
You don't need a full-day training to start this work. Here are three things you can do immediately:
1. Stop Telling, Start Asking
Instead of: "Here's our new customer service standard."
Try: "What does great service look like when you're exhausted, the line is long, and the customer is frustrated? What would you need to deliver it anyway?"
The best insights come from the people doing the work.
2. Use Real Scenarios, Not Theory
Generic training sounds like: "Always be respectful."
Real training sounds like: "A customer insists you made an error. They're loud, they're certain, and they're wrong. How do you preserve their dignity while correcting them?"
Specificity creates clarity. Clarity creates action.
3. Draw It OUT of Them, Don't Hand It TO Them
The Service Code that Priority First brought to life? I didn't write a single word of it.
I facilitated. I asked questions. I captured their brilliance.
When people articulate the solution themselves, they don't resist it—they champion it.
The Ripple Effect
A few days after the training, I received this note from Priority First's Chief Operating Officer:
"Your presentation was great! I have already passed your name on to another credit union for staff training."
That's what happens when transformation is real. People don't just feel good about it—they want others to experience it too.
What's Possible for Your Team?
Imagine walking into your next team meeting and asking:
"What does our mission actually look like on a Tuesday afternoon when everything's going wrong?"
"What behaviors would make us unmistakably US—even if our name wasn't on the building?"
"If we could strengthen ONE service standard together, what would it include?"
The answers are already in your team. They're just waiting to be asked.
Ready to Strengthen This for Your Team?
Whether you're a credit union navigating growth, a financial services organization redefining service, or any team looking to fully integrate values into daily behavior—I'd love to come alongside you and help your team articulate what makes you exceptional.
Not a top-down mandate. Not corporate speak.
A real, co-created standard your team already owns—we'll just help them bring it to life.
Let's talk about what transformation looks like for your organization.
Schedule a discovery call and let's explore what's possible.
Dr. Tracey C. Jones is the President of Tremendous Leadership and speaks internationally on leadership, personal development, and organizational transformation. She specializes in helping teams strengthen the connection between values and daily action.
Dr. Tracey C. Jones, MBA, CPBC, CPBL