Pub. 6 2018 Issue 3

20 The Community Banker www.mibonline.org What do you most enjoy about your work? Everything. Right now, I’m thrilled to be building new relationships and recon- necting with community bankers, state association executives and staff, along with community banking advocates from across the nation. I’m enjoying working with the tremendous ICBA staff and doing what we do best – fighting for the needs of the nation’s community banks. What influences guided your career development? When you grow up in a family of com- munity bankers, working in a community bank from an early age and seeing the positive impact that the bank has on the community, you can’t help but be influ- enced by it. Over the years, I’ve seen small businesses thrive and be turned over to the next generation of leadership. All of this was instrumental in helping me grow into the community banking professional and advocate I am today. I also can’t say enough positive things about getting involved with your local state association to engage with other community bankers and advocate for our industry. I learned so much by getting involved with the Independent Communi- ty Bankers of New Mexico and serving as their president back in 2007. Serving on ICBA’s Executive Committee was also instrumental in my career devel- opment, because it was a great learning experience and provided me with oppor- tunities to travel the country and connect with my fellow community bankers. Something that I’m really drawing on now is my past experience in engaging with the regulators. Thanks to my time on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Advi- sory Committee on Community Banking and the Kansas City Federal Reserve Com- munity Depository Institution Advisory Council, I was able to learn how to work with regulators to make change happen. What was key leadership advice that you received? Two key phrases come to mind. First, the power of listening. When I assumed the leadership role at my family bank, I learned early on that you need to listen in order to learn. The core is being able to listen to ensure you understand the prob- lems you are trying to solve and being open to hearing the potential solutions, so you can make the best business decisions. My other key leadership advice came from my dad, who taught me the power of making the hard-right decision instead of the easy wrong decision. This advice has guided so much of what I do.