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“I’m Not Just aBanker Anymore”Consolidaon, pace of change, and business growth demanda new blend of delegaon and hands-on involvementBY STEVE COCHEO, EXECUTIVE EDITOR & DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGERSCOCHEOSBPUB.COMEven the daily grind is more grinding—justthe sheer challenge of keepingcurrent on more issues, according toLaurie Beard, president and CEO of$450 million-assets Founders Bank &Trust, Grand Rapids, Mich. “Sometimesit feels overwhelming,” she says. “Someonewill ask, ‘Did you see that articlein The Wall Street Journal this morning?’And then I’ll realize that I haven’t evenread the Journal yet. Haven’t gotten to it,and I used to always do that first.”Beard’s concern isn’t a matter ofroutine missed—it’s evidence of a senseof frustration about keeping up, so she,as CEO, can best work with the board.“Obviously, you want to be conversanton issues, but you also want to be theone educating your board on some ofthem,” she says, “and for that, you haveto be well-prepared yourself.”AT TIMES, PAUL SIEBENMORGENFEELS LIKE TWO PEOPLE. “TO THEOUTSIDE, IN OUR COMMUNITIES,I’M A BANKER,” SAYS THE PRESIDENTand CEO of Farmers and MerchantsState Bank, Archbold, Ohio. “Butinside, nowadays, I really feel I’m moreof a manager, delegator, leader, banddirector, educator, cheerleader, whathave you.”Siebenmorgen’s bank has expandedinto five new communities in five years,and is approaching the $1 billion-assetsmark. And he’s found his personaldefinition of “community banker” haschanged.This evolution has been felt by manyin the business, as was discussed withSiebenmorgen and four other membersof ABA’s Community Bankers Council.The CEO who isn’t on the mainbanking floor—or even in the mainbranch—no longer seems an oddity.Strategy has grown to be a bigger pieceof the job—even if daily demands pushcreative thinking to nights, weekends,and holidays. If the predicted consolidationamong community banks comesto pass, the remaining leaders will findthemselves increasingly coming to gripswith an urgency to rethink how theywork—and what they work at.Jim Edwards finds himself torn betweentoday and tomorrow. “The pace ofchange continues to increase, and I findmyself running a traditional bank, and,at the same time, spending more timethinking about how things are changingand what are we going to do to stayahead of what is coming in the next 90days, 12 months, five years,” says Edwards,CEO of $1 billion-assets UnitedBank, Zebulon, Ga.In the runup to, and wake of, theDodd-Frank Act, the role of the CEOin politics also has changed. Amongbankers, there always have been “politicaljunkies,” but no banker can affordto stick on the sidelines now, recognizesCharles Funk, president and CEO of$1.7 billion-assets MidWestOneBank,Iowa City, Iowa.“Five years ago,” Funk says, “I hardlyever talked to our employees about theneed to be active politically and to advocateand to lobby. Now, if they don’t gethow important the political climate is,it’s because they haven’t been listeningto me.”Stepping away from the frayDaily life is changing for CEOs.“Sure, I still do the PR stuff—kiss somebabies; shake some hands,” says veteranbanker Siebenmorgen. “I’m nota politician, but in a way, that is whatwe are. CEOs are always trying to sellsomething, and support our staffs in ourcommunities.”But Siebenmorgen has been veryused to being a roll-up-your-sleeves bank Banker | continued on page 1412 www.azbankers.org