Leaders & Mentors Our 40 Under 40 winners know that leadership isn't about seniority or tenure. It's about taking responsibility, rallying others and making change happen. Here, they talk about the challenges they face and how they crafted their own visions of what a leader looks like. Q: What's your approach to leading or mentoring? McKinzie Hopkins: A title does not make a leader. Anyone can be a leader, no matter their position or title. I encourage my teams to find something they think can be done better and take ownership of that. Take new staff under your wing and teach them. Nothing solidifies your knowledge more than teaching someone else. Suzanne Johnson: I think it's super important just to have a pulse on people. I don't think any two individuals are the same. Sit down with them and identify their wants and goals. Hear their feedback and find out what they love, what they need to be doing. It's important to have individual development plans that cater to those needs. Tracey Kearns: I believe great leaders inspire others through positivity, humility and compassion. Positivity means a positive attitude that treats challenges as opportunities. Humility means I always remember where I came from. Compassion means that it's OK to be empathetic and genuine. A leader's job is not just to get things done, but to inspire others to make positive change. Emily Stork: I believe in a transformational leadership approach. I think that leaders inspire and motivate their staff to innovate, create change and facilitate a collaborative vision setting. Q: What role does community involvement play in bank leadership? Hopkins: Community banks really do focus on the community in which we live and work. It's the heartbeat of America we're assisting with. You can drive down the street and see something that you helped make happen. Johnson: I'm a product of our community programming. The Urban League preemployment programs helped me learn interviewing skills. I know the impact these programs had on me. The individuals I was involved with were not involved just to check a box, but to really support the participants. I want to be that for someone else. Kearns: I was able to develop some great relationships with business owners in other industries and HR groups that do mostly training. I incorporated their insights into our management training program. That has helped our programs tremendously. Stork: My vision for community banking is for a community bank to serve as a partner to its neighbors. To do that, a community bank must develop meaningful relationships with its customers. I dedicate my time both inside and outside of the off ice to providing opportunities for success. independentbanker.org Q 45http://www.independentbanker.org