LBA's Leadership School & a Conversation about Ethics

The 13th session of the LBA Leadership School concludes as I write this and it reminds me of several things to be grateful for. The work LBA Chief Operating Officer Ginger Laurent and LBA Education Coordinator Marcy Manual as well as other LBA staff has proven very successful in creating a leadership program that bankers in Louisiana have embraced. 

There have been 342 bankers graduate from Leadership School since 2010. There was one school per year 2010-2014; then an additional session was added each year from 2015–2018 to meet the demand. Bankers are preparing for their banks’ future by enhancing their employees skills in many ways, but leadership tells me that community bankers see a bright future with bright young people to lead it. Also gratifying is to see who the bankers are that are in the Leadership School. While some may not like the term diversity, I believe it is no accident that the bankers attending are a diverse group that indicates there is great opportunity for young people to grow in a banking career. And I believe that whatever we accomplish in life is usually done with intention. Bankers are embracing the challenge of hiring and training employees to assure success of their bank and the people they are sending tells me that the future leadership in Louisiana banking will be a diverse group. 

This year I took five minutes to bring ethics before the Leadership School students as a reminder that how we conduct ourselves reflects not only on our own integrity, but also the bank. Since I found an Ethics Code Louisiana bankers adopted at the 1928 LBA Annual Convention, it has enabled me to speak of it in terms of something bankers thought was important enough to bring to a convention and vote on and that perhaps these bankers were on to something we all need to be reminded of from time to time. I believe people want to work where ethical behavior is valued. Having a conversation at the LBA Leadership School about ethics and providing a copy of the Ethics Code from 1928 is something I hope will add to their preparation as leaders.