Pub. 7 2019 Issue 3

www.uba.org 2 O ne of the biggest challenges fac- ing the banking industry is attracting and developing our workforce and future leaders. This challenge is particularly acute in an economy that boasts a 2.8% unemploy- ment rate. Anecdotally, nearly every bank leader I work with considers themselves to be an accidental banker. So how do we build an accidental banker pipeline that the industry can rely on? First, we have to understand the process that leads someone to become a banker. To do that, we interviewed a number of bank- ers to look for commonalities. And what we found made a lot of sense. It’s a realization of something we all know to be true: Banking changes lives! I’m a patriotic person (I cry during the national anthem), so I’ll explain it this way. America is the greatest country is the history of the world because our founders understood that an individual’s pursuit of happiness is a right every bit as fundamental as their right to life and their right to liberty. Millions of American’s have sacrificed everything to protect our lives, to preserve our liberty so that we have the freedom to pursue our happiness. Today, when it comes to the pursuit of happiness, no industry plays a more central role in every American’s pursuit of happiness than banking. One banker told me he always knew that he wanted to be a doctor or a banker. That seemed a little weird, so I asked him to explain. He said he decided early in life that he wanted to help people, so he looked around to see what was causing people the most pain in life. He concluded it was either their health or their finances and decided he would be a doctor or a banker. As we continued to interview successful, passionate bankers, the same theme emerged. They were all inspired to choose banking as a career as they wit- nessed the impact for good the industry had on people’s lives. Banking facilitates every sector of our economy and touches every corner of our community. A bank represents an amazing collaboration of community members; some are depositors, some are borrowers, and some are both. But every good banker understands that they will never outperform their community. If there is a weakness, or a gap, if there is pain in the community, it will find its way back to the bank. And that is why successful bankers are so involved in identifying and solving problems in their community. A bank can only be strong when the community it serves is strong. We all know that Utah has one of the strongest economies in the world. It’s not a coincidence that we are also one of the largest and most successful banking states in America, with more assets under supervision than much larger states like California, Texas and Florida. This creates enormous opportunities for young people who want to make a difference in the community as well as pursue a successful career. Whether it is safeguarding and providing ready access to savings, or extending credit to pursue a dream, the pursuit Today, when it comes to the pursuit of happiness, no industry plays a more central role in every American’s pursuit of happiness than banking. of happiness, that inalienable right for which so many have sacrificed all, simply doesn’t happen without strong banks. Sooner or later, anyone working in this industry comes to the realization that banking changes lives. Whether they are on the front lines or in the back office they understand that the success of their bank, and the success of their community depends on them. This is what eventual- ly makes accidental bankers passionate about what they do. Our goal is to make sure this happens sooner rather than later, perhaps even before they decide to work at a bank. If you’ve been inspired to choose banking as your career, join the Bankers4Good community on UBA’s website and tell us your story. You can also follow #Bankers- 4Good on twitter or LinkedIn to hear sto- ries about how banking changes lives. n T he B ottom L ine Howard Headlee President Utah Bankers Association