Working with Others

I was fortunate to start my banking career at the age of 19. I was hired by the bank president to fill the position of loan teller. My only duty other than being a teller was that I was the only teller who could take loan payments. Working beside seasoned tellers gave me the opportunity to learn how to talk to customers, anticipate their needs and questions, and pay attention to what I was doing so my drawer balanced at the end of the day and we could go home soon after the bank closed.

Over the next 10 years, I worked in many different areas of the bank and held two other “titles” until I was named president. The funny thing was that, though I was now the president, I still worked with the very same people I had worked with for years. I still worked with those employees. They did not work for me. We all worked for the bank.

Over my banking career, I made sure that at no time did I refer to an employee as someone who worked “for” me. I worked with them, as we all had the same goal, no matter our position or title. That goal and purpose was to make sure the customer was the most important person we dealt with each and every day. I was a better bank president because I learned so much from the awesome staff that I had the privilege to work with.

As you advance through your careers as members of the Future Leadership Division, I encourage you to continue to work with others as members of the same team. No matter what title you achieve, you and those at every level all work collectively for the bank and the communities it serves. 

.

This Month's Guest Writer

Ryan M. Warner
Past President and current Chairman of the Board
Bippus State Bank, Huntington