10 MARCH / APRIL 2017 COVER STORY As a community bank leader, Annette Russell sets high standards. “I am continuously seeking ways to improve myself,” she says. generation represents our future workforce. I look to millennials as being future innovators of our industry. From my perspective, I want to know how they think and interact, so that I can support their initiatives to service this generation. “IBA’s Leadership Development Program is a natural progression to membership in the Future Leadership Division. FLD membership has been growing each year, which I believe is a representation of the quality of education and networking opportunities provided. Our bank has five active participants in the FLD, and several more I would love to get involved. “Our FLD members look forward to all of the events, especially the Day at the Statehouse. I have started taking two FLD members on the IBA Annual Washington Trip each year as an extension of their experience at the state level. It’s imperative that we help them understand the importance of grassroots efforts, and how they can advocate for the future of our industry.” What are your responsibilities as president/CEO of Security Federal Savings Bank, Logansport? “One of my primary responsibilities is providing strategic leadership and direction for the future of the bank. Obviously there are a lot of underlying parts that have to be in place in order to accomplish this. Having the right people on your management team is critical, and I’m fortunate to have a team that has the same passion for preserving the integrity of community banking. “I serve as the chair of our risk management committee, which I established two years ago. By creating a dashboard for key areas of risk in the bank, I developed our own internal model for monitoring enterprise risk. This risk monitor is now a key component of our board report and strategic planning tools. “We’ve worked hard over the last 13 years to develop and maintain a team culture. Two of the rules at the IBA Leadership Development Program were ‘no egos’ and ‘no B.S.!’ You can’t develop a team without trust, so rather than a top-down approach, it’s an all-around approach. “My goal is to empower everyone here with the knowledge and the resources needed to be successful. It’s my responsibility to build consensus and lead the team in setting appropriate goals and celebrating their success. “I also write a monthly newsletter that’s shared with the board, our team and our community relations board. I include recognition of service anniversaries, updates on the industry, board meeting updates and a question-and-answer section. The Q&A is derived from questions asked at our service anniversary celebrations held throughout the year. Each participant is asked to bring a question on any topic to the celebration as their ‘ticket’ for admission. “Communicating effectively across the organization, both in writing and speaking, is imperative ‒ and something I’ve not perfected. I am continuously seeking ways to improve myself, and I don’t set any limits for my own potential.” How has your CPA background enhanced your career? “When I started in 1991, I was hired as the controller. I had worked in public accounting, but had limited opportunity for growth. My analytical skills allowed me to grow in the areas of lending, business planning, investment strategies and prioritizing projects. I’m not comfortable with any major change or proposal until it’s been analyzed to death. “I spend a lot of time analyzing and perfecting my own work, which can become a time management issue at times. I openly say, ‘I pity anyone who gives me a report or minutes to proof!’ I’m a grammar freak, too.” You are a member of the inaugural class of the IBA Leadership Development Program. What did you gain from that experience? “If you speak with anyone who’s attended, you’ll quickly learn there are a lot of activities no one anticipated. I won’t let the surprises out, but I will say that the program keeps you on your toes. The only schedule you were sure of was lunch at noon and dinner at 5. Everything else was a freefor-all. The uncertainty put me out of my comfort zone, which I’m sure was part of the intention. “In all honesty, I got to know Dax Denton on a different level ‒ like a marriage, in good times and bad! The poor guy felt my wrath after 48 hours of very little sleep and a whole lot of challenges. “We learned the benefits and challenges of developing a plan with a team of people with different personality traits. This required a lot of patience and objectivity. The projects also allowed us to fail, more than once, but
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