8 MAY / JUNE 2017 COVER STORY Kent A. Liechty is president and chief executive officer of First Bank of Berne. KENT Liechty Mission-led leader So devoted is First Bank of Berne to its constituents, that its mission statement consists of four guiding principles, one each for the bank’s customers, employees, communities and shareholders. Additionally, the bank’s president and chief executive officer, Kent A. Liechty, has a mission statement of his own: “To serve God as a leader, husband and a father, and to live my life with integrity in everything that I do and everything that I say.” Inspired by a mentor to draft a mission statement, Liechty observes that his statement serves him as “a guiding principle of what’s important.” He adds: “I would strongly encourage developing a personal mission statement. When you have the noise of everyday distractions, a mission statement can help redirect you.” Long before formalizing his personal mission into a statement, Liechty was a standout as a driven and dedicated banking professional. While serving as a commercial relationship manager with a regional bank, his talents caught the attention of Charles E. Isch, prior president and CEO of First Bank of Berne, who called Liechty in 1997 to invite him to join the bank. When Isch retired in 2010, Liechty was named president and CEO. Engaged in the community, Liechty is president of the board of directors of Swiss Village Retirement Community, board treasurer of Youth for Christ, Berne Rotary president, involved participant in church activities, board member of the Berne Community Development Corp., member of the Berne Storm Water Board, member of the Graduate School of Banking advisory board, committee member of the Adams County Economic Development Corp. and a volunteer for Junior Achievement. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, an MBA from Indiana University and has completed the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. Hoosier Banker interviewed Kent Liechty at the recently completed operations building of First Bank of Berne. What are your responsibilities as president and CEO of First Bank of Berne? “My responsibility is to provide leadership, direction and guidance for our bank activities. We want to ensure short-term and long-term profitability. As a leader, I also try to provide opportunities for our bank and employees to be involved in community citizenship.” How do you define leadership? “Leadership is providing people with opportunities to develop themselves. It’s not telling people what to do, but giving them the resources they need to do their jobs better. I also believe that, as a leader, being involved in the community is very important.
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