Editor's Note: This column was part of our Aug. 28 Pulse. The weekly enewsletter is sent each Thursday to our list of nearly 15,000 subscribers.Do your employees know what success looks like at your organization? .The people at Sunrise Banks know success requires developing outside-the-box solutions to impact some of the world’s toughest challenges. Employees at Bridgewater Bank know success might require some long days and hard work, but those days can be energizing and filled with learning.The people who work at the State Bank of Porter understand that professional success is found by seeing one’s efforts in the larger context of a community bank’s role in business and community success.The employees at Bravera Bank, meanwhile, are witness to a brand of success that embodies resilience, and fosters connections between peers, customers and the larger community.At Nebraska’s ACCESSBank, success comes by honing soft skills — emotional intelligence, communication, teamwork and leadership.The bankers at First Interstate Bank know success can be found by focusing with positive intent on teamwork — and always doing the right thing.All of the examples above are drawn from last year’s cohort of “Outstanding Women in Banking.” Click on any of the above links to read profiles of female bankers modeling success in their organizations — modeling it to their banking peers, especially. Each sets an important example and we shared their stories for the benefit of all. A savvy job candidate interviewing at your company will pose a question like: “What does success look like at this organization?” How would you answer? Can you look around for examples you might point to? Have you found success embodied in your employees and then recognized it publicly? I encourage you to do this. Beyond thanking employees for a job well done (or career well spent), the act of recognition sends a message to all of your people that tells them what success looks like. Recognition is both a tool for personal reward and an opportunity to reinforce the culture of your organization.In a thriving company, recognition can be a powerful motivator that boosts morale and enhances productivity. It also creates a culture of respect, which is extremely important for females in the workforce today. Acknowledging and celebrating the contributions of women at your bank, something we’ve been doing since the late 1980s, is more than just a nice gesture — it’s an essential practice for fostering an inclusive and equitable environment during a time when these values have fallen out of favor.Recognition is one of our company values, and we’ve transferred that value to four annual recognition programs. The deadline to submit a nomination to our 2025 “Outstanding Women in Banking” program is fast approaching. I urge you to look around your bank and find a woman deserving of recognition. My sense is that it will be difficult to settle on only one.
