Pub. 3 2014 Issue 8

l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s 12 T HE TWELVE MEMBER 2014 BLOK CLASS recently gathered for their final training session at the Prairie Band Resort located near Mayetta, Kansas. Several members of the BLOK class participated in KBA’s annual Jim Maag Scramble held at Firekeeper Golf Course and several others manned a fundraising golf hole supporting the BLOK program. Following the golf tournament, the BLOK class journeyed north to Holton, Kansas for an evening of fun, networking and entertainment provided by a local band, with several guest musical performances provided by KBA’s staff leadership team. The following training day of BLOK Session IV was strictly business with a leadership development presentation provided by Ted Garnett, Performance Resources Consulting. Garnett is the author of Accountacution, a book dedicated to stressing the importance of accountability in the workplace. Garnett also emphasized that leadership is a verb and requires interaction as well as stressing the importance of listening as a communication tool that helps build trust. Together with various team building activities and multiple homework assignments, the class was provided with multiple leadership tools and techniques that could be implemented with their respective bank leadership teams. The final training segment for the 2014 BLOK class also featured a Leadership Challenge issued by current KBA Chairman Kelly Mason, First National Bank at Pratt and former KBA President/ABA Chairman Earl McVicker, Central Bank and Trust, Co. at Hutchinson. The session was moderated by KBA EVP-Government Relations Doug Wareham, with the panelists answering multiple questions about their experiences as leaders within the KBA and each highlighting what they view as the most important attributes of a successful leader. Persistence and teamwork were common themes expressed by Mason and McVicker, along with a willingness to step up when leadership opportunities present themselves. The 2014 BLOK class will gather one last time for their graduation ceremony at the 2015 Harold A. Stones Public Affairs Conference set for February 4, 2015. Congratulations to the 2014 class for successfully completing the BLOK training regimen! A sincere thank you to BLOK Grand sponsors: - Bankers’ Bank of Kansas - FHLBank Topeka - Kansas Bankers Surety Company - KBA Insurance, Inc. - Kennedy and Coe, LLC - Professional Bank Consultants, LLC - Promontory Interfinancial Network - UMB Bank, N.A BLOK SESSION 4 MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE The BLOK class held a fundraising challenge on hole 7 of the Maag Scramble prior to the start of the 4th and final session. BLOK class alumni Craig Heideman, Kaw Valley Bank, and current BLOK class members Kent Scwerdt, Chris Gilbert and Chris Bualle took the challenge to hit the green. Also pictured are KBA staff member Sara Blubaugh, Susan Otterstein, Bobbi LaViolette and Kristy Umscheid. Members of the 2014 BLOK Class are: Chris Baker, Bank VI, Salina; Chris Bualle, Girard National Bank, Girard; Alan Campbell, Impact Bank, Wellington; Chris Gilbert, Bankers’ Bank of Kansas, Wichita; David King, Equity Bank, Wichita; Bobbi LaViolette, Farmers Bank & Trust, Great Bend; Ryan Liess, INTRUST Bank, N.A., El Dorado; Susan Otterstein, Centera Bank, Dodge City; Kent Schwerdt, Kaw Valley Bank, Topeka; Jamie Smith, Community National Bank, Tonganoxie; Kristy Umscheid, Farmers State Bank, Westmoreland; and Brenda Unruh, Kansas Bankers Association, Topeka.