In 2008, I landed a role at a major bank in Strategic Human Resources, focusing on leadership development, succession planning, and people strategies. This position gave me the opportunity to sit at the table with the Retail Risk SVP and his outstanding team of executives, who were managing product and operational risk at the bank.
One of my fondest memories during this time was presenting the talent strategy, including our successes and opportunities, to the President of the retail bank. He entered through an almost invisible door, engaged fully, and disappeared almost as quickly, leaving us with a sense of pride and motivation after acknowledging our progress.
Some of the initiatives included:
Later, I transitioned to the Wealth team under different leadership, which had a radically different culture. Before I could fully acclimate, the markets crashed due to the subprime crisis, affecting the entire organization.
My role shifted dramatically from building our leaders to laying them off. I had to terminate the careers of many dedicated individuals who had shown immense loyalty to the bank. It felt like a scene from George Clooney's "Up in the Air," except far less glamorous and infinitely more heartbreaking. Despite being just the messenger, I felt the heavy burden of representing the employer in these painful decisions. This period was a low point in my career, and I still think about each person who was impacted.
During this tumultuous time, I had the privilege of sitting at the executive table, participating in conversations to manage the change. Although I wasn't making the decisions, I represented the people in my business area and understood the impact on them. I noticed a significant gap: there was no change discipline in place. The focus was solely on strategy implementation and personnel decisions, neglecting the essential steps of structuring and planning for effective change.
Reflecting on this experience, I see the critical need for a structured approach to support strategy implementation. Effective change management starts with a clear strategy, followed by the right structure, and then people decisions. In the Wealth division, we missed this clarity, leading to frequent position changes and confusion post-restructuring.
Moreover, there was no mention of a comprehensive change plan. Decisions were rushed, resulting in the need for numerous corrections after implementation. One night at 10 pm, I was asked to lead a conversation with the executives about effective change. I spent a sleepless night debating whether to reference "Who Moved My Cheese" or create a space for executives to share their contexts and concerns, learning from each other. Fortunately, I chose the latter, and the session yielded practical insights and a boost in morale, enabling us to make tough decisions with greater humanity.
Several attendees remarked that I had found my passion and encouraged me to start a business focused on equipping leaders to lead change successfully. And so, I did.
In conclusion, I have to give the bank a lot of credit. This institution weathered the subprime crash better than most because it chose not to follow its counterparts without careful consideration and stood firm in understanding its customers and business. Sometimes, you must be resolute in your beliefs while remaining open to improvement. At Kirke Leadership, we help organizations like this one adopt a clear approach and toolkit for leading change with effective planning, understanding the why, the vision, and the strategy before mobilizing their teams. Having been through the trenches myself, I know what it takes, and we are passionate about helping people succeed.
As I always say, true leadership isn't about wielding positional power; it's about empowering and supporting those you lead to feel part of the way forward.
Like having a quick coffee or cabernet with the best and brightest in the leadership space.
