Attract people. We’ve had some good fortune in attracting some really top-notch folks. Part of it is because they understood what the business plan was here — we were able to state our mission clearly, and they kind of caught a glimpse of the vision of where we’re going.
It’s critically important to have your walk accurately reflect your talk. One of the things we pride ourselves on here is we promise a lot, but we deliver even more. And there are achievers, contributors, who can sense that and are excited about the possibility of showing what they can do. I mean that in a positive way, not showoffs or prima donnas, but are really looking forward to the opportunity of demonstrating to a client or customer what we can deliver.
Amongst the best folks we have, [they] have come from referrals. Our senior loan officer came as a result of a referral from one of our shareholders who said, ‘This is who I bank with now. I can’t tell you that this fellow is the best you’ll find, but I can tell you he’s done an extraordinary job for me.’ We talked to a lot of people but we came back to him because of that experience that one of our shareholders had had with him, and it’s turned out to be exactly that for his clients. He does an unusually good job for all his clients. So referrals are probably amongst the best ways to get good talent.
An overlooked resource is your own staff. Good people like to be around quality. We have found good people by talking to our bankers and say, ‘Think back to your previous bank. Of the folks that you know there, who would stand out in your mind of someone you’d really like to work with again and why is that?’ Usually if you know the who and the why of someone you really enjoy working with again, if it’s someone in a discipline that you have a need, that’s likely to be a very good prospect for you.
Make the economics the last component of the consideration. If you lead with money, you’re leading with the wrong thing. You have to lead with the opportunity of the organization and the position and convey appropriately that each individual, particularly in a small organization, makes a difference and is influential. Everyone here at RockBridge gets that opportunity. People feel important, and they are important when they’re participating and making a contribution, and in larger organizations, that sometimes gets overlooked.
How to reach: RockBridge Commercial Bank, (404) 250-8600 or www.rockbridgebank.com