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Day: November 21, 2023

Kish Bank Appoints Keith Crissman Chief Revenue Officer

Posted on by Melissa Brown

STATE COLLEGE, PA – November 17, 2023 – Kish Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Pennsylvania native Keith Crissman to the position of Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer. In this role, Crissman will develop and execute strategies to drive revenue growth, customer acquisition and retention, and market expansion. He will lead a team of high-performing executives fostering a customer-centric culture to enhance customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

“We are excited to welcome Keith to the Kish team. His executive experience in financial services brings significant capacity to help Kish continue to grow while maintaining our community commitment,” said Greg Hayes, CEO and President of Kish Bank. Hayes added, “Keith embraces our core values and our belief that we can make lives better with an unwavering focus on fulfilling our clients’ financial needs.”

Crissman’s 35 years of banking experience includes 24 years with Alabama-based Regions Bank, where he held multi-state line of business executive roles in Retail Banking, Wealth Management, and Treasury Management, as well as executive-level geography leadership roles. Most recently, Crissman was Head of Business Banking for Simmons Bank based in Little Rock, AR, where he was responsible for defining, building, and executing business banking strategies for companies with annual revenues of $10 million and under.

A native of Carlisle, PA, Crissman earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Retail Bank Management at the University of Virginia. Crissman shares Kish Bank’s passion for community and has held leadership positions at several nonprofit organizations, including United Way, the LSU Health Science Foundation, and the American Heart Association. Crissman and his wife, Jennifer, are in the process of relocating from Texas to State College.

About Kish Bank
Kish Bank is a $1.4 billion regional community bank that operates 18 offices and financial centers serving Centre, Mifflin, Huntingdon, Blair, and Juniata counties, and northeastern Ohio. Other business units of Kish Bank include: Kish Insurance, Kish Financial Solutions, Kish Benefits Consulting, and Kish Travel. Kish Bank is a subsidiary of Kish Bancorp, Inc., trading under the OTCQX stock ticker symbol of KISB. For additional information, please visit MyKish.com.

The Power of ‘I Don’t Know’: Embracing Uncertainty as a Leader

Posted on by Melissa Brown

In any organization, there will always be times when the leaders don’t have the answers. However, rather than admitting they don’t know something, some leaders will instead try to disguise their lack of knowledge with jargon and buzzwords.

Pretending to know everything can quickly undermine your credibility as a leader when your lack of knowledge surfaces. Not only does this diminish your trustworthiness, but it also stifles open dialogue and critical thinking in the workplace. This power imbalance may discourage employees from challenging managerial perspectives, inadvertently limiting the organization to the narrow viewpoint of its leaders instead of leveraging the collective wisdom of the entire team.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. The key to building trust with your employees and fostering honest discussions is to role model how to be an accountable leader who speaks honestly about what you know and commits to learning more when you don’t. Read on to learn how to embrace the wisdom of ‘not knowing’ and how to serve your teams as a proactive leader and learner.

How to Take Off Your ‘Heavy Armor’
There’s no shame in simply not knowing the answer to something. And yet, shame is what many leaders feel when they do not have an answer or ready-made solution. Unfortunately, the sting of embarrassment leads to some unflattering behavior, where leaders may anxiously ramble on or use unfamiliar jargon to prop up their expertise.

Acclaimed writer and researcher, Brené Brown says that self-protection is what gets in the way of saying ‘I don’t know.’ Many leaders have been shamed or embarrassed publicly when they haven’t known something and develop what Brown calls ‘heavy armor.’ Brown writes that being the ‘knower’ is common for many leaders but puts them in an unwinnable position: “Unfortunately, needing to know everything is pretty miserable for the knowers and everyone around them. It leads to distrust, bad decisions, and unnecessary, unproductive conflict.”

While it may take some practice, there is surprising power in saying, “I don’t know,” especially when you follow up later with informed answers. In order to embrace this approach, however, you will need courage to remove your armor.

The Curious Leader
Embracing curiosity and admitting uncertainties as a leader fosters an environment of critical thinking and problem-solving. Translating ‘I don’t know’ into ‘let’s discover,’ emphasizes the importance of understanding over mere knowledge. The World Economic Forum highlights analytical and creative thinking as top in-demand career skills. In our dynamic world, expecting leaders to know everything is unrealistic. Overall, fostering diverse perspectives and problem-solving allows leaders to navigate past personal ego and prioritize obtaining precise and current information for the organization’s advantage.

The Takeaway
Leaders can cultivate a healthier, collaborative workplace by embracing the power of “I don’t know.” Instead of viewing it as a weakness, see it as an opportunity to foster team unity and extend learning. Curiosity and a commitment to seeking knowledge are more beneficial than pretending to know it all. The best leaders lead by example, showing accountability, authenticity, and a willingness to learn. By fostering critical thinking, you enrich your leadership abilities and empower your team. Strength lies not in having all the answers, but in the courage to seek them out together.

The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.