Sara Bister

I attribute my success to the incredible mentors I've had throughout my career and the strong network I've built. One mentor in particular stands out - she was a district manager when I was a branch manager, and she's still someone I reach out to for advice. When I was in the wealth banker role and really missing the coaching and development aspect, I talked to her about finding opportunities to grow in that area, and she encouraged me to take the performance consultant role. Honestly, it was probably the best decision I made, because I really got to hone those coaching skills while also growing my knowledge in other areas of the bank. I've had several other mentors along the way who have been champions for me, and I've been able to return that support for them as well. I've also been fortunate to mentor others myself - several people have reached out after hearing me present on development for women, and I've been able to help them get licensed and take new roles, even though they were outside my area. Staying connected with people across the organization has been invaluable. When I took this current role covering four states, it didn't seem as big of a task because I already knew people in much of the territory that I could lean on and ask questions. You just never know when those relationships will help you in the future, so building and maintaining that network has been crucial to my success. My most notable achievement was onboarding 20 bankers in my first year in this role following a company reorganization. We had one state with no employees in this role, so I was really tasked with creating a new market. It was a huge amount of work, but incredibly rewarding, and I've seen those individuals all grow and be incredibly successful.

The best career advice I’ve ever received came from a district-level mentor who encouraged me to take on the Performance Consultant role, a pivotal moment I credit as a turning point that reshaped my career trajectory and opened the door to my current leadership path. The direction was to move towards my natural strengths to help others to grow.

I always want people to realize what the role actually is, because I think sometimes we have people who want to come in and they don't quite understand what it is. So I always start with level setting - this is what the role is - and then I always ask what is driving you to this. I think that's how you help them grow. If it's the money, or if it's the connection with clients, understanding their passion helps me guide them on what they can do in their current role that would highlight why they would be a good fit. I think, especially in wealth, there's a huge opportunity for women to come in and be incredibly successful. There's just not enough women in wealth to help other women, so I'm always an advocate for them. I tell them to start on their path with the testing - that's the biggest hurdle for most people to get in - but then make sure we've got regular touchpoints and they're constantly moving forward.

One of the biggest opportunities in my field right now is the underrepresentation of women in wealth management, which creates meaningful space for growth and stronger client impact. There is an ongoing need to recruit and build strong teams in the wealth space because there are not enough young people getting into the business.

Helping others and giving back to the community are core values that drive both my work and personal life. I'm deeply committed to nonprofit work, particularly with Ronald McDonald House Kansas City where I've been associated for 17 years - I served on their finance committee for close to 10 years and have been on the board of directors for two years. I've also worked with several other organizations including the Women's Employment Network, homeless shelters, and battered women's shelters both in Kansas City and Omaha. This commitment to helping vulnerable populations is something I share with my daughter, and we volunteer together at organizations like battered women's shelters. She just finished her degree in criminal justice because she wanted to work for organizations like that. In my professional life, coaching and development are my true passions. I'm someone who always wants to feel like I'm moving forward and gaining new knowledge and understanding, and I love helping others do the same. Whether it's mentoring people to get licensed in wealth management, training branch managers, or developing my team of bankers, I find it incredibly rewarding to support others in their growth. I have to pay attention to my calendar with how much mentoring I take on, but I absolutely love doing it. Several people have reached out to me after presentations about development for women, and I've been able to help them figure out what's next for them and stay connected as they grow in their careers.