NOVEMBER 2022
WISCONSIN BANKERS ASSOCIATION
FOUNDED 1892
Celebrating a Decade of Building Banking Leaders WBA’s Building Our Leaders of Tomorrow (BOLT) By Cassandra Krause If one thing is certain about young professionals in Wisconsin’s banking industry, it is that they are ambitious. Their careers mean more to them than just a paycheck, and they’re looking for ways to grow and make meaningful contributions. Nearly ten years ago, the
Building Our Leaders of Tomorrow (BOLT) Section was created to tap into the potential of emerging leaders in banking across the state. Julie Redfern was one of the inaugural BOLT Section Board members in 2013 and has advanced in her career to executive vice president, chief operations officer at Monona Bank. “Fostering growth and leadership skills in our industry was a motivational factor for joining the BOLT
initiative in its infancy stages,” said Redfern. “We had a gap in our industry, and I think BOLT is now a great tool to offset that gap for bank CEOs looking to develop bench strength with future leaders at their community banks.” Motivations for joining BOLT vary from banker to banker. Some are seeking opportunities to learn the skills needed
to be a respected, contributing community banking officer able to handle increasing responsibility. Others join because of the access to a tremendous network of Wisconsin bankers with a vast background of knowledge and experience who are willing to share it in a non-competitive environment. Still others may be looking to become more engaged in legislative,
WBA Building Our Leaders of Tomorrow
By Hannah Flanders
BRANDING YOUR
CULTURE By Hannah Flanders
Wisconsin banks empower employees, drive service
regulatory, and public affairs advocacy. BOLT was launched to ensure ongoing success for community banks by focusing on talent development and providing networking opportunities for the next generation of community bank leaders to grow and develop the necessary skills to be effective leaders. (continued on p 8)
Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in worklife balance, employee expectations, and workplace culture have all dramatically shifted among every industry. However, as new cultures of service emerge internally, an increasing number of businesses are considering how this company culture shift may widely benefit both
current and prospective employees as well as the perspective of customers.
The Culture of Serving Others Company culture, or the shared values and beliefs held within an organization, continues to prove itself as a significant factor not only in talent attraction and recruitment, but in how Wisconsin’s community banks are able to stand out from large competitors. Time and time again, poor management or lack of service are often to blame for individuals leaving businesses or finding new providers. However, as Wisconsin’s
community banks focus their efforts into doing what they do best — providing high quality service to every member of their communities — it will come as no surprise that talent and customers will follow.
Establishing an Effective Company Culture According to Amanda EmeryMorris, training and marketing coordinator at Farmers & Merchants Union Bank in Columbus, company culture is largely connected to the mission, vision, and beliefs held by the (continued on p. 18)
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