Who is Monique Akanbi?
Monique Akanbi, Human Resources Manager at FBMC Benefits Management, has 15+ years of HR experience in the public school & private sector in various roles & disciplines, including workers’ compensation, employee benefits, employee relations, training & development & employee engagement. Monique has a degree in Public Administration with a specialization in HR from Barry University, Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification in January 2013, & Society for Human Resource Management-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification in June 2015. Additionally, Monique is a Team Lead Examiner & Mentor with the Florida Sterling Council Board of Examiners.
As a Team Lead, what are your top three pointers for Examiners new on their Sterling journey?
- Absorb as much as you can! This journey will equip you with knowledge that last a lifetime.
- Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Being a new Examiner can feel like you’ve entered unchartered territories; however, I encourage you to trust the process – it’s the most rewarding experience.
- Get involved! The Sterling Council offers many opportunities for Examiners to get involved while growing personally and professionally.
How does FBMC benefit from your participation as a Sterling Examiner? What are you able to bring back?
Being a Sterling Examiner allows me to assist FBMC on our Journey to Performance Excellence. I am able to apply the Sterling Management model to all aspects of our organization and identify our opportunities for improvement while leveraging our strengths. In addition, being an Examiner and participating in assessments allows me to learn best practices from other organizations and apply them to FBMC.
In June, Nichole Solomon and yourself will facilitate a series for the Sterling Institute called Leadership During Times of Disruption: The Six Cs of Leadership. What are the six Cs, and which one has presented the biggest learning curve for you? What is one thing you do to assess that particular opportunity for improvement and turn it into a strength?
- Communication
- Character
- Credibility
- Courage
- Customer Centric
- Clarity
The competency that was the biggest learning curve was courage. During times of crisis/disruption, as a leader it takes courage to make tough decisions and motivate your team when things are uncertain. I turn courage into a strength by developing individual relationships with each of my team members so that when I have to activate courage, whether it is popular or unpopular, they know that I’m operating in their best interest.
In everything you do for us and beyond, it is clear you have a passion for lifelong learning and service. What would you like to say to someone who may be thinking of earning more certifications (like Lean Six Sigma, SHRM-CP, etc.) but just haven’t taken the leap?
Knowledge is power! The more tools (skills, knowledge, certification, etc.) you acquire in your toolbox, the more you are able to demonstrate the value you bring to your organization.
At FBMC, what are some of the programs you head to encourage workforce engagement?
Employee engagement is a top priority at FBMC. In fact, our recent employee engagement score is 82%. Several programs I lead to encourage workforce engagement is an employee engagement team and community service team. This allows employees to take ownership of what makes FBMC an employer of choice and exercise discretionary effort.
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