In his roughly two decades as a team manager, Cadence Bank, N.A. Executive Group Manager Gale Smith has learned a thing or two about being an effective leader.
BIC Magazine recently sat down with Smith to discuss his career path, the value of having a good recruitment strategy, and how his experience with mergers and acquisitions has made him a better banker.
Q: What led to your position at Cadence Bank?
A: My entire team was recruited to join Cadence Bank in September 2011. We had a proven track record of consistent, quality growth and building market share. In the past, I had been part of three other start-up offices for banks entering the Houston market with great success. I have also known Cadence Bancorporation Chairman and CEO Paul Murphy since our days at Allied Bank in the 1980s. It was a perfect fit for us.
Q: What is the most important part of your position?
A: As a team leader, I see my primary role - and that of my team - as helping to grow the bank with minimal risk. One of the things I am most proud of is recruiting and developing young bankers. Cadence Bank has run a credit training program for many years because we see the value of recruiting, developing and sustaining diverse talent. I am proud to have the first two graduates of that program on my lending team. Taylor Ducoff and Rachel Heath are now senior vice presidents and two of the top producers at the bank. In fact, my entire team is a product of our training program, and I take great pride in that.
Q: Are you looking to expand in new markets?
A: Our relationship-driven strategy and deep expertise are key factors in making us so competitive. We also do not geographically box in our bankers. For example, we have done a great job penetrating the refinery services space. We have several clients that have grown exponentially in that space, and we have been with them the entire way. Collectively, we agree as to where risks exist and have successfully partnered with them to help them grow. We also bring expertise in understanding enterprise value and financing mergers and acquisitions. We work with a large number of sponsors who trust us to execute and deliver consistent solutions to complex transactions which far exceed the capacity of most banks our size.
Q: What has been the most pivotal moment of your career?
A: I have been a commercial banker in Houston for about 32 years, and I have also worked with a customer performing mergers and acquisitions. We bought about 80 companies in approximately four years. I learned so much about how companies are valued, how they operate, how important management can be, culture issues, etc. When I made the choice to get back into banking, that experience made me a much better lender. Getting that insight from inside an operating business greatly improved my understanding of what a banker should explore and what they should know about their borrowers.
Q: How do you maintain a good work/home life balance?
A: When you surround yourself with the type of people I work with, it is not that difficult to maintain a good work/home life balance. I have always strived to hire results-driven, efficient, competitive people who don't need to be micromanaged. I also believe that today's technology has untethered many of us from our offices, and this has only been magnified by COVID-19.
I have always believed there is a way to be really good at your job and not miss your daughter's volleyball game. It does not have to be one or the other.
For more information, visit www.cadencebank.com or call (713) 871-4192.
