Personal growth November 3, 2017 By
Advice for Someone Starting Their Career from the First United Bank Executive Team
Twenty-three is an impactful age in several regards. Many are graduating from college, getting married, having babies, and starting careers at this point in their lives. As a 23-year old who just started a business career, I was curious to know what advice played a role in shaping the path to business leadership.
I asked each of our First United Bank Executive Team members a simple question: “What’s the best advice you received when you started your career?” The information and advice I received from each of them was so inspiring, that I wanted to share with others.
Take a look at what our Executives shared with me:
- “Do what’s right and everything will work out.” - John Massey, Chairman of the Board
- “It’s hard to be a leader without any followers.” - Greg Massey, Chief Executive Officer
- “Know your strengths as well as your weaknesses, know how you are perceived, and have the ability to change for others.” - Scott Flowers, Chief Banking Officer
- “The world is very rarely black and white; learn to operate in shades of grey.” In addition, “the mark of true wisdom is the ability to hold two conflicting ideas at once.” - Stephen Phillips, Chief Banking Officer
- “Learn all you can learn in a given position, then teach others what you have learned so that you can learn more.” - William Fahrendorf, Chief Administrative Officer
- "Look at everything from multiple perspectives, not just how something will affect you.” - Melissa Perrin, Senior Culture Officer
- “Always address a problem quickly and thoroughly. Do not delay in addressing a problem.” - David Keese, General Counsel
- “Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. It would be better to take action with good thought behind the decisions and fail than to sit on your hands and not.” - Mark Dawson, Chief Financial Services Officer
- “Get out of your comfort zone and find something new to keep growing. Comfortable success over time might not lead anywhere.” - Thomas Dallam, Chief People Officer
- “Often the best solution is not what someone asks for, but what they meant. Be sure you understand the concern/issue before acting on the specific direction provided; they may not always align.” - Tim Schneider, Chief Operating Officer
- “Always pay yourself first, whether that’s putting money in savings or paying down debt.” - Todd Townsend, Chief Marketing Officer
- “Don’t over think it. Have confidence in yourself and your abilities to take the ‘risk’ to be wrong sometime.” - John Hewitt, Chief Audit Officer
I hope you found their advice as insightful and worthwhile as I have. Please feel free to pass this along to those starting their career or just someone who needs a little inspiration and let us know which piece of advice resonated with you the most.
As a parting gift, I’ll throw in some bonus advice from personal experience – don’t be afraid to ask questions. When you’re new in any field, there’s always a lot that you don’t know and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by that. If you want to learn and grow in your industry, remember this advice and ask as many questions as possible.
