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Leadership: South Georgia Cheerleader Brings Spirit To Leadership
Growing up in a small town in South Georgia, my younger years were spent like any other child, divided among school, family and friends. I was a cheerleader from the time I was 8 years old until I was in high school, when the demands of life required that I get a job.
March 1, 2007
More than two decades later, I'm still cheerleading – except now I'm cheering on the First Horizon team as a bank president leading my company's expansion in the Atlanta market. As a leader, my responsibilities span many areas, but one of the most vital roles is that of head cheerleader.
To me, leadership is all about strategically building a talented senior team and empowering those individuals to be successful. I'm here to support them and then get out of the way and let them do their jobs – and similarly empower their own staffs.
Leaders have to be smart and tough, but they also have to create a fun, rewarding environment filled with positive energy. You have to create a vision and common purpose and then have the passion and energy to persuade people to embrace that vision.
Leadership also is about spirit. You've got to have the initiative and the spirit that it takes to be successful. I like to win. I want to win – almost to a fault.
I grew up in a middle class family. Neither of my parents completed college. But my mother instilled in me two lessons that I've always remembered. She taught me that you could always do whatever you set your mind to; and she said if you hold your chin up and put a smile on your face, everything else will follow. Similarly, I'm trying to pass this great wisdom on to my own two daughters.
One of my great mentors is Jerry Baker, First Horizon Bank's chief operating officer. Some might say he went out on a limb to recruit me two years ago – a 37-year-old woman who had never been a bank president. Many of the managers who report to me are older and have more banking experience than I do. But he saw in me certain instincts and leadership qualities and had confidence in me that I could do the job.
An effective leader must possess integrity, humility, open-mindedness and a drive for success – and look for those same qualities in the team members he or she recruits. I've tried to recruit individuals who have a broad mix of experience plus a combination of humility and entrepreneurial spirit.
As a leader, my attitude sets the tone for the business and the culture. I spend a lot of my time interacting with employees and talking to them about their work and their lives. I discover more about what's going on day-to-day in the business by talking to people one-on-one than I learn in meetings.
But finding the time to stay connected with those employees – as well as your family and other important people in your life – can be one of the great challenges a good leader faces.
Everyone wants a piece of your time. A leader has to find a balance, allocating enough time to employees while still remaining focused on growing the business. Similarly, a leader must stay on top of everyday demands without losing focus of your family.
Both my home and professional jobs bring 24-hour demands. The dedication needed to run a household and be a good wife and mother is even more challenging and rewarding than my leadership role at the bank.
While my husband is a great partner, he also has his own very demanding job. My reality is juggling family and career. This means balancing a packed schedule, which can include the unwanted phone call from the babysitter canceling at the last minute.
I'm not complaining or asking for sympathy. This is my passion. This is what drives me. This is what I love to do. And I could never do it all without the spirit of my inner cheerleader.
