Hoosier Banker 23 The Indiana Bankers Association Future Leadership Division recently held its signature event, the FLD Leadership Conference. This conference, held in late fall in past years, shifted to the summer in an effort to enjoy the warm summer air as well as other scheduling benefits. The timing change, combined with excellent leadership speakers, networking and roundtable discussion, resulted in the largest group ever in attendance at the conference with just over 100 emerging leaders from over 35 IBAmember banks who enjoyed two days of networking and leadership-oriented presentations. Beginning on Aug. 27 at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, the conference opened with Lindsay Boccardo, who has spoken at past IBA events. She shared tremendous insight into today’s work environment, and why it is vital that leaders take time for self-care to avoid burnout. After Boccardo’s keynote, attendees were treated to an enjoyable networking lunch to get to know new contacts or catch up with past friends. The group then had the opportunity to learn from Jeff Hudock of nCino as he presented his ideas on five phases of design thinking, and how bankers can use them to create a better banking experience for their customers. Next up on the agenda was a special highlight for this year’s conference and one of the reasons the conference was moved to the summer. August is traditionally a district work period for members of Congress. As the FLD grows in membership, a goal of the IBA is to also increase FLD members’ presence in the grassroots advocacy arena. We were delighted this year to have Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, who serves Indiana’s 9th congressional district and is a member of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, speak to the FLD attendees. His passion and enthusiasm for serving the people of Indiana is exceptional, and he shared great insight on the banking industry’s role in local communities, and why emerging leaders need to be involved to make their voices heard in legislative matters. Speed roundtables were held next and were a great conversation starter for all involved. Attendees broke up into groups of approximately eight people and were given a choice of topics to discuss. After 20 minutes of peer-to-peer exchange, groups split up, and everyone joined a new group of eight people to discuss other topics. After three rounds of discussions and a variety of topics, group members were able to learn from each other and share ideas with their peers, which everyone benefits from. The grand finale for the first day of the conference brought attendees to a night at the ballpark as they traveled a few blocks away to watch the Indianapolis Indians face the Toledo Mudhens at Victory Field. Rain had finally passed through the area earlier in the afternoon and made way for a perfect summer night. While the local team didn’t win, the night was still a home run, and a great time was had by all. The second day, Aug. 28, began with breakfast and a thought-provoking presentation from Donna Flynn on the art and science of peopling. Her presentation focused on the defensive nature found in ourselves and our coworkers, and how to best deal with those issues in the workplace. Robby Slaughter followed with a presentation on email and offered new ideas on how to manage this form of communication. Emails are a form of work that never stops, and it was intriguing to learn new strategies to better control the constant stream of tasks that come with each email. Finally, the conference ended with the most energetic and hilarious presentation, as Judson Laipply discussed the constant state of change we face in our lives and how we are the only ones who can control how we react. His presentation, combined with his memorable dance routine, “Evolution of Dance,” which I strongly encourage you all to search for on YouTube, was the perfect, light-hearted way to cap the conference. Overall, the 2019 FLD Leadership Conference offered new highlights, exceptional leadership and professional development speakers, and extremely valuable networking time. I believe that, once again, the FLD Leadership Conference delivered on its mission to help develop and connect the banking industry’s emerging leaders. HB Josh Myers Assistant Vice President - Member Engagement Indiana Bankers Association jmyers@indianabankers.org @joshmyersIN
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