Leadership Insights

Banking on Leadership

I’m pretty proud of the fact that I spent a good majority of my formative career years in the banking industry. Fortunately, I had some great leaders to guide me through the sometimes treacherous political waters of “big bank” hierarchies. Over the years, I worked in Marketing and Business Development, headed up Sales and Service Quality initiatives for banks, managed at one time 71 branches of a regional bank in the Western US, and led a product innovation team for a national supplier to the financial services industry. Banking is in my blood, and I have to admit, I get a little excited every time Refinery gets a chance to work with a financial institution, whether it’s a large multi-national bank or a purpose-driven regional credit union.

Questions for a New World of Leadership

Last March, as we contemplated the need to adapt our in-person programs to virtual programs, we knew it was not as simple as just taking the same content and activities and delivering them via an online platform such as Zoom. After all, Refinery is best known for our experiential activities which don’t automatically translate in the virtual world. We knew that our clients and their worlds had shifted and, in many cases, rotated 180 degrees from where they were before. So, we decided to ask ourselves (and our clients) a few key questions to better understand what leaders were needing in this new work environment: The following is a summary of what we learned.

Refinery Leadership – Does Your D and I Program Rumble Your Soul?

Many organizations today have Diversity and Inclusion programs because “it is the right thing to do”. These programs however rarely seem to be at the forefront in the day to day operations. Afterall, managers have the “real work” of ensuring the productivity and profitability of the company, right?

Problem Solving and Decision Making: Introducing the Cynefin Framework

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for many business leaders that they may not have seen before. In addition to having to adapt to new government regulations about how their companies can operate, they may be working with a remote workforce for the first time. Furthermore, there is a good chance that leaders are (or will be) working with team members who are afraid to come back to work or with clients who feel that re-openings are happening too fast – or too slow.

Refinery Leadership – Learning the Recipe of Refinery’s Secret Sauce

When Rhonda Gorman first joined the Refinery team from Calgary, Alberta in February 2019 in a business development role, she wasn’t sure if she had made the right decision or not. Of course, she knew of Refinery, but like many others that she now comes in contact with on a daily basis, she didn’t yet understand the full extent of how Refinery was different. Rhonda would learn that it would take her close to a year to really understand the ‘secret sauce’ that made Refinery Leadership such a powerful resource for business executives. We recently spoke with Rhonda to learn more about her experience with Refinery.

Effective Leadership During Times of Uncertainty

Over the past few weeks, change has occurred rapidly and drastically. As a leader, engagement with your teams might be one of the few things our employees can depend on to guide them through their days. Now more than ever, we must remember the fundamentals of effective leadership as we transition through these uncertain times.

Executive Burnout Part 1: The Truck That Finally Hit Me

I was on a call with my coach, talking about what I was going to commit to doing better or different for the next few months in my leadership. I found myself giving rote, dispassionate responses, and finally admitted that I was just exhausted. About everything.

The Year of Not Quite Living—Part Two: One Step Up, Three Stumbles Down