Independent Banker - December 2024 - 40

MORE THAN $1B
Wood & Huston Bank

FEELING THE LOVE
BY BETH MATTSON-TEIG
alking about love in the banking
world pushes some people a bit
outside their comfort zone-and that's
exactly what Wood & Huston Bank in
T
Marshall, Mo., is striving to do.
" A word we use a lot is 'love,'
which is something you don't hear
in business, but we want people to
love their job, " says Mark Thompson,
president and CEO of the $1.2 billionasset
community bank.
Love is a foundational piece of the
leadership philosophy that Wood &
Huston has embraced. It's based on
Steve Farber's The Radical Leap, a
book that the bank gives to every new
employee. In Farber's book, " LEAP "
stands for " love, energy, audacity and
proof, " and his leadership theory is
that love generates energy, which in
turn inspires courageous audacity and
a willingness to take purposeful risks
to make things better.
Wood & Huston puts all employees
through leadership training based on
the book's philosophy. " We make it
very clear that we see your potential
as a leader when we hire you, and
your voice matters, " says Susie
Thompson, vice president of HR and
chief culture offi cer. " It doesn't matter
what your title is. "
The bank encourages its people to
share ideas that drive positive change.
" It's all the small things that really
make the diff erence, " says Racheal
Wood & Huston Bank
Marshall, Mo.
Assets: $1.2 billion
woodhuston.com
Howery, a vice president in HR and
a 20-year employee. " We have a lot
of people who really just want other
people to succeed. "
4 culture-building tips
from Wood & Huston Bank
1. Be intentional. Culture
doesn't happen by accident.
Have a framework to work within
and know it will change over
time. Culture starts at the top.
2. Know your staff and their
professional goals, dreams
and desires, so you can help
to support those aspirations
with training and further
development opportunities.
3. Track employee engagement
with tools like Gallup
CliftonStrengths to understand
what they excel at and how to
best communicate with them.
4. Love your staff . Bring
energy to the workday
while also having high but
attainable expectations.
Howery started out at Wood &
Huston as a teller when she was 18,
and she has had many opportunities
to learn, try new things and step out
of her comfort zone. She worked in
diff erent areas of the bank before
landing in her current role in HR, a
job that she loves.
150 years of building culture
Wood & Huston Bank celebrated
its 150th anniversary this year. It
was founded in 1874 by the Huston
family, whose fi fth generation is still
involved in the business today. Nick
Huston is chairman of the board,
Matt Huston is SVP and loan offi cer,
and HJ Huston is SVP and manager
of retail banking. As the bank has
grown, its family atmosphere has
been a constant feature of its culture.
It's an award-winning culture,
too: Wood & Huston won the
Institute for Extraordinary
Banking's Extraordinary Banker
40 /// ICBA Independent Banker // December 2024
/
http://www.woodhuston.com
Independent Banker - December 2024

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