Pub. 4 2014 Issue 4

21 FALL 2014 would be developing his third- and fourth-string quarter- backs. The bank recruits from within, and Beatty can recount several higher-level executives and managers who started their careers on the teller line. Other bankers like to bring in new talent from outside the banking industry. One hurdle here is that banks are not often seen as progressive or attractive workplaces for younger gener- ations. Points out Ikard, “Banking is no longer ‘cool.’ We need to rebrand to show young employees that we are innovative in the technology and the programs that we offer. This is not your father’s bank. This is an exciting customer-relationship business that happens to sell financial services.” ConnectOne Bank uses social media to connect with prospective employees. To Sorrentino, a presence on Facebook and Twitter is table stakes. “If we didn’t have a presence on social media, recent college graduates wouldn’t take us seri- ously,” he says. ConnectOne Bank doesn’t limit its recruiting to only recent college graduates or employees of other banks, but extends its search to industries outside of banking as well. A RE MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMS EXTINCT? Twenty years ago, a recent college graduate would embark on an 18- to 24-month management training program run by most big banks, and cycle through all the bank’s functional areas. These programs graduated well-rounded bankers prepared to become the next generation of banking industry leaders. Bankwide training programs rarely exist at the largest banks today. Instead, a new banker is likely pigeonholed into one or two areas of the bank, and never receives a holistic view of the industry and its impact on the health of the overall economy and on individual communities. Ikard notes that he has met senior bank executives at other institutions who don’t understand fundamentals, such as how payments clear, because they came up through the lending ranks. Not only is a well-rounded banker a more effective leader, Ikard believes, but he is able to provide better customer service. A broad-based foundation also helps young bank- ers find their passion. “You don’t know what you love about banking until you are exposed to different areas,” he says. At FirstBank, every officer starts her career at the bank as a management trainee and is promoted from within. “Our system is built on young people and making sure they feel that FirstBank is the right place for them,” explains Ikard. Trainees spend time in bookkeeping, on the teller line, and in loan operations. The new officers “are starved for professional development,” maintains Ikard. “They want to grow.” For banks that don’t have such a development program in place, there are other options. ABA’s Professional Develop- ment Group offers a multi-faceted range of development tools, ranging from its free (to member banks) Front Line Compli- ance training to the top-of-the-line Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. The state bankers associations also provide a broad range of leadership and development programs. All told, 23 states n Future Bank Leaders — continued on page 22