“For five years, I had the privilege to work and develop under the leadership of Heather Bryant during our time together at this company. When I first joined the company as a teller, Heather had already established herself as the Market Sales Manager (MSM) for West Portland. With her passion and aptitude for associate development and driving results, it was not long before both our roles changed. Under her guidance, I grew to become a banker, assistant manager, and ultimately branch manager who directly reported to her under her new title as Market Leader.
Throughout the years the company, my peers and myself all benefitted from Heather’s work ethic, knowledge and influence. Statistically, her success is immeasurable and incomparable. Heather’s ability to identify key drivers for the business to then create and implement sustainable action plans repeatedly moved West Portland above all other markets in the region. Interpersonally, Heather consistently invested her own time and efforts developing teammates. As a budding leader, Heather showed me how to coach associates, follow up on my expectations and ultimately own the business being conducted within the financial center. This commitment to her team was universally present, from manager to teller, as she made a point to connect with every associate during visits to ensure they knew their importance to the company. Under Heather’s leadership, West Portland became a well-oiled machine and the envy of the region.
That is not to say, nonetheless, that the last several years were without their challenges. Given the confidence imbued from my success with this company, there was a strong temptation to look elsewhere during a time when I felt company policy was stagnating my career. Truthfully, Heather Bryant is the reason I stayed with Bank. She made no promises, nor did she have to; her character and body of work spoke for itself. I, like many of my colleagues, trusted her direction and believed in her leadership. Undoubtedly, it was the best decision I have made in my professional career.
To that end, Heather’s ability to gain buy-in from her peers and teammates differentiates her from all other leaders I’ve encountered. Corporate policies and action plans run the risk of being interpreted as impersonal and removed from the day-to-day needs of the business. Heather’s ability to convey ‘the why behind the what’, listen to concerns and actively problem solve to address obstacles associates were experiencing helped stretch her influence well beyond the local market. Her willingness to try new ideas, regardless if they were best practices from tellers or suggestions from other regions, displayed a degree of humbleness and simultaneous drive to be the best that is unprecedented.
Simply put,
Heather is an asset to any company or organization. She embodies what it means to be a leader, and I accredit all of my personal success to her tutelage.”
(Last name withheld for protection)