Independent Banker - March 2018 - 53

better? What's my personality? How
do I stay true to myself but also learn
and fl ex so that I have a whole repertoire
of strengths that I can pull from
to be effective?' "
A common misperception about
leaders is that they have to be extroverts.
" You don't have to be a loud,
type-A personality to be a leader, "
Kahnweiler says. Between 40 and 60
percent of senior leaders fall into the
introvert category, she notes. " They
lead with a quiet presence rather than
an 'in-your-face' personality. "
The charisma looks different for
those introverted leaders. In his book,
Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can
Matter More than IQ, author Daniel
Goleman highlights the importance
of listening and being present as key
40-60%
Percentage of senior
leaders who are introverts,
according to author
Jennifer B. Kahnweiler
leadership qualities. It is important
for leaders to be good listeners and to
not always be the ones providing all
of the answers, Kahnweiler adds.
" Another skill that is really important
for leaders today is being able
to coach, " she says. " To do that, they
need to be able to delegate. " Delegating
gives leaders more time to invest
in leadership activities that are going
to make the most difference. It also
helps to develop leadership skills in
others within an organization.
" One of the big changes over the
last 20 years is that it used to be that,
if you had the position, people would
line up and simply do things because
'the boss said so,' " says Kit Welchlin,
speaker, author and president of
Welchlin Communication Strategies.
Good leadership is now more about
employee engagement, employee
empowerment and creating
a good workplace
experience, he adds.
Improving
leadership skills is
an ongoing pursuit
It is important for leaders to avoid
getting too comfortable or complacent
in a leadership position, especially in
today's rapidly changing business environment.
Leaders need to periodically
reassess their own leadership abilities,
including both strengths and areas
for improvement. " A key for yourself,
and to bring your bank forward, is to
continue to learn and remain relevant, "
Kahnweiler says.
There are plenty of educational
resources available in terms of
classes, books and seminars, as
well as networking, mentoring and
coaches. Pioneer Bank's Palmer has
focused on improving his leadership
skills throughout his career. His
offi ce is fi lled with leadership books
and articles from the likes of management
consultant Peter Drucker and
Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People.
One of the lessons that Palmer took
home from attending a leadership
class at the Graduate School of Banking
in Madison, Wis., was an example
of a leader who met with employees
once a week. " It was more than a staff
meeting, " Palmer says. " It was creating
leaders beneath him and giving
people opportunities to take charge
and work through different things. "
So, when Palmer joined Pioneer
Bank as senior vice president and
chief fi nancial offi cer in 2004, one
of the fi rst things he did was start
his own weekly staff meeting that
included all of his direct reports.
Part of the meeting is dedicated to
typical bank business, while another
component is engaging in a broader
discussion about leadership. Over
the past 13 years, the group has
also read and discussed more than
30 different business books, such
as How to Win Friends & Infl uence
People, The Happiness Project and a
book about former Boeing and Ford
CEO Alan Mulally.
Emerging leaders can gain experience
by being involved on committees
and boards of community, civic and
industry organizations. " Experience
is certainly the best teacher, but I
believe it's important to invest in leadership
training for young bankers, "
Kouplen says. Regent Bank supports
emerging leaders within its organization
with classes, speakers, book
discussions and open-door access to
its executive team.
It's also important to give younger
bankers exposure to upper-level
managers, adds Kouplen. Regent Bank
hosts a monthly Young Guns Luncheon
for several of its younger bankers that
includes an educational component on
different topics. The bank also plans
to roll out a mentor program this year,
where younger bankers can pair up
with executives to learn more about
their career paths and experience.
Networking is another underused
resource, Kahnweiler notes. There are
different ways to make and strengthen
connections, both in person and
online. Many people are using social
media more thoughtfully in terms
of leveraging networks to learn best
practices. " There is so much to be
learned online, " she says. " It's just
[about] focusing and connecting with
people who have like-minded interests
and who we can learn from. "
Beth Mattson-Teig is a business writer
in Minnesota.
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