Andrea Manns

I attribute my success to several things that have shaped who I am. First, I'm a natural-born leader. Growing up as the oldest of twelve siblings, I was groomed for leadership from a very young age. I was almost like a second mom, taking care of my brothers and sisters, making sure they did their homework, and keeping them safe. That taught me responsibility and how to guide and support others. Second, I truly believed what my grandmother told me when I was just four or five years old - that I could do anything I put my mind to. She always said 'the sky is the limit, baby. You go and get, once you get to the sky, grab the stars.' I keep that with me even though she's passed away. Once I get to where I've set out to go, I just extend my arm and try to go a little further. I also had mentors along the way who believed in me and took me under their wing, teaching me what I needed to know. And I think my persistence and fearlessness played a big role too. When I was in a bad situation at a job I didn't like, I wasn't afraid to start from the bottom in banking because I knew I'd get back to the top. And that's exactly what I did.

The best career advice I ever received came from my grandmother when I was just four or five years old. She told me that I could do anything I put my mind to. She would say 'the sky is the limit, baby. You go and get, once you get to the sky, grab the stars.' That message instilled confidence and belief in my own potential from such a young age. Even though she's passed away now, I keep that with me always. It's become the foundation for everything I do. Once I get to where I've set out to go, I just extend my arm and try to go a little further. I truly believed what she told me, and that belief has carried me through my entire career.

I would tell young women entering banking to make a goal for yourself and make sure that you keep your integrity in everything that you do. Be yourself you don't have to try to be what you see everybody else being. Just be you, keep your integrity, your morals, and do your very best. Your light will shine. People will see you. They will navigate to you. A lot of people dim their lights because they just try to fit in, but no - turn that light up. I want to see you, because that's what we need. We need that pizzazz. We need that pop. Be fearless. Just go for it. I say if you do it, do it loud and wrong. Then we can fix it. If you're timid or if you don't try, then you'll never get better. You don't have to have it all together. Take the 99% that you do have and learn the 5%. Just jump out there. Get out there. There will always be people in your corner rooting for you who can help you along the way and help you fix anything you've done wrong in a nice way. Don't feel like you're not enough. Don't compare yourself to others. Focus on what you bring to the table. The challenge is getting outside of that comparison mindset and being bold and going forward.

The biggest challenge for women in banking is not feeling like you're probably enough, you know? It's comparing yourself to others instead of focusing on what you bring to the table. That's the challenge - getting outside of that comparison mindset and being bold and going forward. A lot of times, people will look and say 'well, it's just a woman, we really need a man for this job,' but women can do that job as well, and can do it maybe even better sometimes. We're going to pay attention to the little details and have more empathy. As for opportunities, I think women have more opportunities today than ever before. We just need people who are going to bring integrity, empathy, and inspiration to the table. We need people who think outside the box - once you figure out how to complete the task, now how could you do it easier? How could you do it better? Because that's what we need in this field. We need that pizzazz, that pop. We need women who won't dim their lights to fit in, but who will turn that light up so we can see them, because that's what we need.

The values most important to me are integrity, authenticity, family, empathy, and service to others. Family definitely comes first for me - I have two girls, and they are my safe place. Just chatting it up with them helps me recharge. I also believe strongly in being inspiring and helping people discover what they're good at. My heart is very warm just from seeing others thrive. I want to bring everybody with me. I don't want to go alone. I love helping people, so any way that I can help people makes me happy. Having fun and putting a smile on someone's face makes me happy. I'm very involved in my community - I help out at local pantries, local churches, and women's shelters. I love women, so I like to uplift them and let them know it's gonna be okay, you don't have to stay in the situation you're in. I love speaking to young people and pouring into them, helping them figure out what they're good at. Just by watching them for 5 or 7 minutes, you can figure out what they're good at, and then their little light bulb goes off. I also believe in thinking outside the box and always looking for ways to do things better, because that's something the entire organization can benefit from.