Wis. Banker Meredith Strieff Serves on ABA Community Bankers Council

Below is a Q & A with Meredith Strieff, vice president, customer experience at Horicon Bank. Strieff chairs the Wisconsin Bankers Association Building Our Leaders of Tomorrow (BOLT) Section Board and has recently taken on a newly created emerging leader seat on the American Bankers Association (ABA) Community Bankers Council (CBC).

What does the emerging leader role on the ABA CBC entail?

I have the honor of representing the Emerging Leaders Council (ELC) of the ABA within the Community Bankers Council of the ABA. This means that I participate in the working group and council meetings of the CBC, to continue to build the bridge between our two groups. Keeping the CBC informed and included in the initiatives of the ELC, bringing our perspectives, successes, and challenges to light. On the flip side, I bring back the perspectives and initiatives of the CBC to the ELC, helping to drive continued collaboration and forward-thinking approaches toward collective success for the banking industry as a whole.

How do you see the role of emerging leaders shaping the future of the banking industry?

Emerging leaders in general: this is our future! And it’s bright! We, as an industry, need to be deliberate in our nurturing and give this group a voice. Listen to them, learn from them, and do not be afraid of change. The ELC, specifically, is the most caring, compassionate, and most innovative minds in banking. They’re passionate about helping their communities, to make lives better, whether that’s through traditional financial services, partnerships with Fintechs to deliver forward-thinking solutions or educating their communities to enhance the fight against fraud. The drive of these individuals is admirable, and they aren’t afraid to speak up, together, to harness the power of community banks across the country. Lastly, this group is in the ‘boots on the ground’ team at most of their banks — still very much involved in the day to day, where they are experiencing the challenges and successes of community banking along with our customers. This is a powerful place to be that will allow for some of the greatest strides in innovation and customer experience in the coming years. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to be a part of that.

What have you learned by being a part of the Council?

ELC — There is far too much to appropriately summarize here. A few highlights:

• Say yes. When someone asks you to step into a role or speak at conference, or sit on that panel, Just. Say. Yes.
• (Emerging) leadership is a journey and you’re never done learning. No one started knowing it all, and no one knows it all now. Ask questions and LISTEN to others. They may not have the answers, but they certainly have perspective and the importance of different perspectives gets even bigger as your leadership journey continues.
• I’ve learned no matter if you’re a community bank from the East Coast or the West Coast, big or small, we’re dealing with the same challenges, and we’re all in this together.

CBC — I’ve only had the one meeting with the CBC thus far, however I have learned that this group of bank CEOs and presidents are amazing people who don’t just talk, they’re out there getting things done. They care about the communities they serve and understand the collaborative power that can be harnessed when we’re all working together.

How has being a part of the Council shaped your perspective on the industry as a whole?

Both ELC & CBC have reinforced my perspective on community banking as a whole. Across both groups, the passion for helping our communities grow and thrive is evident and at the heart of what we do each day. The fight against fraud is real — but never once has the focus been on saving the bank money in loss; the passion for this growing problem is rooted in genuine care for our customers — saving them from potential loss.

How did you get involved in advocacy at the state and national levels?

I’m sure you’ve heard me say this before — I was never, ever, going to raise my hand to sign up to go to Capitol Hill in D.C. to advocate for our banking industry. With the honor of chairing the WBA’s BOLT Section, I was offered the opportunity to attend this event with a group of BOLT bankers, along with WBA staff members. Rose and the team at WBA made this experience so welcoming — simple and easy to navigate, and I felt very prepared and supported throughout. I jumped right into the national level with this trip, and have unfortunately, never had the ability to attend Capitol Day in Wisconsin, due to scheduling conflicts.

What advice do you have for a banker who is interested in advocacy?

Just. Say. Yes. (There’s a theme here.) Sure, it can be daunting at first, however it’s helpful to remember: it’s just people talking to other people. You’re the expert in what you do — banking! Our representatives need to hear from us, and they want to know real life impacts the decisions they are making have on their people they were elected to care for. Understandably, there’s not always an opportunity to go to D.C. or similar, however, you can advocate right here at home! The WBA and ABA have oodles of resources — from pre-written letters and information on policy and regulation proposals to be sent to local representatives to scholarships available to attend a Washington Summit or WBA Capitol Day — check out what’s available! Don’t be afraid to ask your bank’s leadership how you can get involved and be a voice for our industry! If you’re not quite ready for the jump to 100% advocacy, start by joining BOLT and get your feet wet with this group of amazing individuals who are supporting the mission of BOLT: Leadership, Education, and Advocacy.