Jocelyn Edison

I attribute a lot of my success to my mom. She's a very hard worker and I've seen her work hard all of my life. She's done the same, moving herself up in different industries and organizations, and she taught me how to be very diligent and a hard worker. I also attribute it to myself being a mother, knowing that I have a daughter and I'm showing her what my mom was showing me. It gives me a lot of joy that I get to step in my mom's shoes and do the same thing. My grandma is another one - my family is just full of a lot of successful people, and I got to watch that around me all the time. My grandma started a daycare for underprivileged youth in the Madison area and had it for well over 30 years. Just watching her build things from the ground up and change our community, all those great things that I admire and have always kept with me.

The best career advice I ever received is don't stop. You may think that the person next to you, because they have that college degree or those accolades or experience, is ahead of you, but you need to keep striving to be the best that you can be. Even when I went into marketing with absolutely no experience, the only reason I got into that was because of the relationship I built with the CEO of that organization who used to bank with me. She took me on as an apprentice in marketing, and I moved my way up to a client success director within her organization in 4 years with absolutely no marketing degree or background. I really believe in never give up, don't stop, don't doubt yourself. Put yourself out there, make sure your voice is heard, and you'll get far. I'm just a walking testament of that.

I think it really boils back to giving it your all. In the financial industry, there's so many directions that you can go, whether it be wealth management, a business banker, a mortgage officer, being president one day, or all those things that you can accomplish in banking. Take it seriously, really own your craft, and learn from those around you - you can and will be successful. I think starting off as a teller is how a lot of people get into the industry, and starting as a teller is fantastic. Just continue to own that role and learn what's going on around you, and you'll absolutely get far.

I think the biggest challenge is that banking is always changing. There's always a new world where things will get more digital, things will get more AI, things will be ever-changing and growing, and I think it's about taking our clients along for the ride. I have clients that have been with their banks for years and years and years, when their banks originally opened or whatever the case may be. That's where the great customer service comes in - it's about educating your clients and showing them that we're moving in the way of the world, but we're still here for you. Especially why I like working at a community bank is because we're still here for you. The challenge is expressing that to your clients and letting them know that this is all for you, and making sure that they are following along with you. That could be a challenge, but I also think that's where that great customer service plays in, and that's what I teach and coach my team. There are those times where you're growing and changing, and people don't like that all the time.

I think integrity is huge, especially in the banking industry or any industry. Integrity is really one of my key initiatives and has always been something that I've kept with me in any organization that I work for. Loyalty, respect, and honesty are also important. Really just being true to who you are and bringing yourself every day to an organization you want to help grow and change.