Leadership Growth Through Relationships and Conversations

20+ years in banking has taught me something I didn’t fully understand when I started: your career is bigger than your job title. When I began my career in banking, I was focused on learning the business, serving customers, meeting goals, and becoming a strong manager. Today, I think about my career differently. I’ve learned that the most valuable experiences aren’t always the ones that come with a promotion or a new title. They’re the experiences that teach you how to: • Lead through change • Build trust with customers and colleagues • Develop people • Navigate difficult conversations • Understand your community • Make decisions with both people and business in mind • Keep learning when the industry around you is changing Every position I’ve held has prepared me for the next one. Every challenge has taught me something. Every person I’ve worked with has contributed to my growth in some way. That’s why I’m intentional about continuing to invest in myself through education, professional development, community involvement, and relationships with people who challenge me to think bigger. I’m not focused only on where I’ve been. I’m focused on what I can contribute next. After more than two decades in banking, I’m excited about the next chapter and the opportunity to continue growing as a leader, serving my community, and creating an impact that extends beyond my job description. One thing I’ve learned for sure: never stop preparing for the opportunity you haven’t been given yet. What is one lesson your career has taught you that you wish you knew when you started? #Banking #CareerGrowth #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #WomenInLeadership #BankingLeadership #CareerJourney #CommunityLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #PersonalGrowth

Career Development. A recent development conversation left me reflecting on something that many of us probably know, but don't always want to admit: Being excellent at what you do is not always enough. Like many people, I've always believed that if you work hard, deliver results, support others, and consistently do the right thing, your contribution will naturally be recognised. But the reality is often more complex. When you work across multiple teams, departments and functions, much of your best work happens behind the scenes. You solve problems, support colleagues, remove obstacles and help move things forward. Yet those contributions are often only visible to the people directly involved. What surprised me most was the realisation that, at senior levels, the information that surfaces is not always the countless times support was provided, expertise was shared, or challenges were overcome. More often, visibility comes when something doesn't happen, when support cannot be given, or when priorities mean difficult decisions have to be made, even when there are genuine reasons behind them. That isn't a criticism of leadership. It's simply the reality of how organisations work. Decision makers can only act on the information they see. The biggest lesson I've taken away is this: Visibility matters. Not in the sense of self-promotion for the sake of ego, but in ensuring that the value we create is understood by the people who need to see it. If we don't tell our story, highlight our impact, and communicate our achievements, we risk assuming that good work speaks for itself. Sometimes it does. Often, it doesn't. I'm learning that professional growth isn't just about developing expertise. It's also about developing the ability to showcase your contribution, build your network, and make your impact visible beyond your immediate circle. Work hard. Deliver results. Support others. But don't be afraid to make sure your good work can be seen. #Leadership #CareerDevelopment #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadershipLessons #PersonalDevelopment #VisibilityMatters #ContinuousImprovement

🔍💚 Keep your finances secure with these essential tips for monitoring your accounts! 🛡️✨ 1. Review Your Statements: Make it a habit to check your bank and credit card statements regularly—daily or weekly! Look out for any unfamiliar transactions or unauthorized withdrawals. If something seems off, report it ASAP! The quicker you act, the better your chances of stopping fraud in its tracks! 🚨 2. Secure Online Banking: Always log in to your online banking on a secure Wi-Fi network. Use strong, unique passwords and change them often! Consider enabling Multifactor Authentication (MFA) for an extra layer of protection. 🔑💻 3. Set Up Alerts: Customize your account alerts for large withdrawals, low balances, or logins from new devices. Think of these alerts as your personal alarm system, keeping you informed of any suspicious activity! 📲🔔 4. Maintain Records: Keep a record of your transactions and financial info. This will be invaluable if you ever face account access issues due to fraud. 🗂️ 5. Stay Informed: Knowledge is power! Stay updated on common scams and fraud threats. Subscribe to our communications and check our Fraud Prevention webpage for the latest info! 💡 Together, let’s keep your financial journey safe and secure! 🙌 Read more: https://ow.ly/27Ez50XgzA0 #UnlockYourPotential #FraudPrevention #StaySafe #BankSmart #CommunityFirst

#RONdering: I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between taking a new job and using a new job. I had a coaching conversation this week with someone who recently created a new role for themselves inside their organization. They’re moving from a pretty specialized area of education into stakeholder engagement and communications. They were very clear with me: this isn’t the destination. It’s a bridge. They want to move toward policy, government, consulting and civic engagement over the next few years. They’re interested in how decisions get made, how you build relationships with different stakeholders, and how you help leaders navigate complicated political environments. What I liked about the conversation was that they weren’t waiting until they were ready to leave education to start building that next chapter. We talked about getting involved in the civic and government ecosystem where they live now. Joining leadership programs. Finding people working in city government. Learning who actually influences decisions. Having conversations before they need something from those people. That last part matters. Too many people wait until they want the next job to start building the network that could help them get it. If you know you want to make a move in two or three years, why wait two or three years to start meeting the people who will help you understand that world? That’s one of the things I enjoy about coaching. Sometimes the work isn’t about answering, “What job should I get next?” It’s mapping the territory. What experiences do you need? What relationships are missing? What reputation do you want to build? What can you start doing now, while you still have the stability of your current role, that will make your next move much easier? Your current job doesn’t have to be your destination. But if you know it’s a bridge, you should probably start building the other side. That’s the kind of career strategy I like working on with coaching clients: turning a vague sense that “I want something different” into a practical plan for what to do next. If you’re thinking about your next chapter and want a thought partner to help you map it out, I’m taking on coaching clients. DM me.

Let's take the pressure off of networking. Just genuinely get to know someone and it will all fall into place. Beautifully written by Leon McDonald.

After nearly 30 years in the corporate world, I’ve been thinking a lot about growth. Not the kind of growth we typically talk about in business. Not promotions, productivity, performance metrics, bigger responsibilities or climbing the ladder. I mean personal growth. For a long time, I didn't fully recognize what I was capable of. There were things I held back from. Ideas I didn't pursue. Abilities I didn't necessarily recognize as valuable because they didn't fit neatly into the role I was in or the expectations around me. It wasn't until I stepped away from corporate life that I began to see myself differently. I started asking myself: What am I actually capable of? And that question led to another: How many people are working inside organizations today who are capable of far more than their job description suggests? How much talent goes unnoticed because it doesn't show up in the traditional places we look? A resume may tell us someone's qualifications. A job description tells us what we're hiring them to do. But neither necessarily tells us about their curiosity, perspective, problem-solving ability, creativity, lived experience, ability to connect people, or the ideas they haven't yet felt confident enough to bring forward. And that has me thinking differently about leadership. What if part of a leader's responsibility isn't simply to manage the talent they hired, but to discover the talent they haven't seen yet? That's where an idea I've been developing called Quiet Growth began. At its heart is a simple question: What if growth doesn't always require doing more? What if sometimes it requires creating enough space to pause, reflect and recognize what is already there? I'm exploring what this could look like as a facilitated experience for professionals and leaders, one that isn't another slide presentation or another list of things we're supposed to improve. Instead, participants would be given the opportunity to think, write, reflect and have meaningful conversations about: • Performance • Habits • Reflection • Success • Growth • Action And, perhaps most importantly: Where am I now, and where do I want to be? I'm sharing this here because I'm at the beginning of developing Quiet Growth, and I'd genuinely like to know how this idea is received in the professional world. Not as a pitch. As a conversation. Because after 30 years of working within organizations, I've come to believe that there may be a lot more potential sitting quietly around the table than we realize. And maybe growth begins when we create the space to see it. What do you think? #QuietGrowth #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #TalentDevelopment #PersonalGrowth

I've worked in enough different environments throughout my career to know that every organization has a slightly different definition of what it means to be successful. The military had one. The fire service had another. Banking was completely different, and entrepreneurship has certainly given me a few more definitions along the way. But whenever I'm working for someone, there are a few things I want to understand as early as possible. What does success actually look like to you? What are your expectations of me that may not be written in the job description? What matters in this industry and in this particular role? Where are you feeling pressure that I may be able to help with? And how can I provide enough value that we're not simply working alongside each other, but actually succeeding together? I think a surprising amount of frustration inside organizations comes from people working incredibly hard toward definitions of success that were never aligned in the first place. The employee assumes the leader wants one thing. The leader assumes the employee understands something else. Nobody has the conversation, and six months later both sides are frustrated. Some of that can be avoided with a few good questions at the beginning. Tell me what success looks like. Tell me where you need me. Tell me what you're trying to accomplish. Then give me the opportunity to help us get there. That's not just being a good employee. I think it's part of being a good teammate, and eventually, a better leader yourself. MichaelGreenwalt.net #Leadership #TeamSuccess #ProfessionalDevelopment #ManagementTips #CareerGrowth

This could not be said any better! Community banking will always have a niche. For the customers who value the respect, care and accessibility of their bankers!

When People Talk Behind Your Back, Rise Above the Noise. In every professional journey, especially as you grow into leadership, you will encounter different kinds of noise. People may talk behind your back. There may be criticism, opinions, misunderstandings and, sometimes, internal politics. Not everyone will appreciate your efforts. Not everyone will agree with your decisions. And not everyone will want to see you move forward. But leadership teaches you something important: You don’t have to respond to every conversation. You have to remain committed to your purpose. As a leader, your focus should be on creating impact, developing people, delivering results and building a stronger organisation — not on constantly proving yourself to people who have already made up their minds. Internal politics can be distracting. Back-channel conversations can be uncomfortable. Criticism can sometimes hurt. But reacting to every noise only takes your energy away from what truly matters. Let people talk. You keep building. Let people doubt. You keep delivering. Let politics happen. You stay professional. Let results speak for you. The higher you grow, the more important it becomes to stay humble, grounded and focused. Your character is tested not when everything goes your way, but when you face criticism, resistance and negativity — and still choose to do the right thing. At the end of the day, your career should not be defined by what people say behind you. It should be defined by the value you create, the people you uplift and the impact you leave behind. Stay focused. Stay authentic. Stay professional. Keep moving forward. Your goals deserve more attention than the noise around you. 💭 Have you ever experienced internal politics or people talking behind your back at work? How did you handle it without losing focus? I would love to hear your perspective and learn from different experiences. #Leadership #HRLeadership #WorkplaceCulture #InternalPolitics #LeadershipLessons #CareerGrowth #Resilience #Professionalism #Mindset #StayFocused