FIVE Minutes with...David Stogsdill

David Stogsdill

Market President for Central Arkansas

Simmons Bank , Little Rock, AR

Q. WHAT TRAIT DOES THE MODERN BANKER NEED TO HAVE TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

A. “Banker’s hours” and the dress code of wearing a suit and tie have probably changed over the years. The foundation of what makes a banker successful, however, is the same as it has always been - the ability to build meaningful relationships. This applies externally with clients and prospects but also internally with bank associates we rely on to execute our jobs and serve our customers. In both of those scenarios, a banker needs to be someone that can be trusted. Developing those meaningful relationships with someone will afford you that opportunity.

Q. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT - CAREER OR OTHERWISE?

A. Professionally speaking, I’m not sure if there is one thing in particular that stands out as my biggest accomplishment. It seems to me that in the banking industry you have little victories along the way. Having the opportunity to build relationships with individuals and companies and being able to be a part of their success is something that is really rewarding. Those same people could have chosen any banker or bank to partner with, but they didn’t and that is a big accomplishment.

Q. WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE DO YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER?

A. The list would probably be pretty long when I think about all the things I’ve gotten wrong! But the one thing that stands out for me is that every single interaction that you have is significant. This applies to both internal and external interactions. It doesn’t matter who it is with and what their role is within the organization. If you work in the banking industry long enough, you know there will be a lot of victories and there will be some losses too, how you handle each might dictate the outcome of the next.

Q. WHAT LEADERSHIP TRAITS ARE OVERRATED?

A. I’m not sure if there are any traits that are overrated, but I do think there are several that are underrated. The one that stands out the most is the ability for someone in a leadership position to listen. One of my favorite quotes is: “leaders that don’t listen end up being surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” That quote resonates with me and I think is absolutely true. Most leaders are in a position of leadership for a reason, but rarely do they have all the answers. I think leaders need to be able to listen to their team, understand their perspective and know that collaboration will always produce a better result or better product.

“Most leaders are in a position of leadership for a reason, but rarely do they have all the answers. I think leaders need to be able to listen to their team, understand their perspective and know that collaboration will always produce a better result or better product.”

Q. WHAT TV SHOW CHARACTER WOULD IT BE THE MOST FUN TO CHANGE PLACES WITH FOR A WEEK? AND WHY?

A. This is a tough question because I don’t watch a lot of TV that is not a live sporting event. I’ll change up the question a little bit and instead of a tv show character, I’ll say that I would love to change places with an NBA player. There are roughly 450 players in the NBA and if you are one of those then you are in a worst-case scenario the 450th best basketball player in a world of 7 billion people. That is an elite group of people to be associated with. The pressure and the competition of trying to maintain your position within that group is an experience that must be second to none.

“If you work in the banking industry long enough, you know there will be a lot of victories and there will be some losses too, how you handle each might dictate the outcome of the next.”