Jill Feiler - Answering the call to leadership, balancing high standards with love, and becoming the new CEO of ZSuite | Episode 25

Speaker A: That got me over the fear until I walked in the door and realized this is an entirely different experience and world. And while my knowledge that I brought the past 20 plus years of banking experience that I brought with me to the table is great, it was only the tip of the iceberg and my then crippling fear took over that, uh, I wasn't smart enough. I wasn't good enough. Foreign.

Speaker B: Hi, my name is Nathan Baumeister and you're listening to Builder Banker Hacker Chief, a podcast where executives from the world of finance and technology have shared the stories of how they got where they are and the decisions that made them who they are. Along the way, I've been looking for hidden moments of truth and sacrifice wisdom in Bali. And with you, our, uh, listeners, I've learned a lot about what it takes to lead teams and companies. Three years ago, when I started hosting this podcast and collaborating with my producer and friend Zach Garver, I wanted to learn from these journeys so that people could use the insights to grow personally and professionally. This episode, number 25, marks a turning point in my own journey. Earlier this year, I stepped down as CEO of Z Suite and handed the reins to Jill Filer, my next and final guest on Builder Banker Hacker Chief. Jill has been a close friend and colleague since we first met at a fintech startup in Austin, Texas more than a decade ago. As the eldest daughter of a single mother, Jill learned early how to shoulder responsibility, care for those close to her, and to maintain very high standards. There are not many people who have the wisdom, humility and self awareness to take the path to CEO that Jill has taken. After nearly 20 years in bank leadership, she chose to work as an individual contributor, caring for clients and keeping her stress to a minimum. But the investments that Jill's mother made in her were too powerful to keep hidden under a bushel. I could see that Jill's unique combination of tenacity, empathy and professionalism were exactly what the company needed. She just needed a little nudge from me. And never mind that story she tells about me throwing her off a cliff. And it's those same qualities that make her such an excellent candidate to take the helm at Z Suite Technologies. As the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, great is the art of the beginning, but greater is the art of the ending. The episode you're about to hear is an ending and a beginning for me, for Jill, for Z Suite, and the entire team that has worked to make this show what it is. So for one final time, join me as we do some cliff diving off the edge of our comfort zones and into the windswept horizon of leadership on episode 25 of, uh, Builder Banker Hacker Chief. Well, Jill Filer, I can't tell you how I'm excited to have you as the last and final guest for Builder Banker Hacker Chief.

Speaker A: I am so excited to be here. Nathan Baumeister.

Speaker B: You know, uh, it's been such a wonderful journey doing uh, this podcast and I couldn't think of a better way to, to end than to interview my successor as the CEO of Z Suite Tech as I step aside, um, and just really excited to share all of the wonderful things that I've learned from you and the different stories of your life, uh, with everyone who listens to the podcast.

Speaker A: Yeah, I'm so excited to be here and I think, uh, this is such a fitting way, uh, to uh, end the podcast as to be the last guest. And I'm just so excited to be here and have this conversation with you.

Speaker B: Awesome. Well, as we think about your leadership journey and as we think about trying to learn the stories of what's helped you to become the amazing leader that you are, I always like to start from the beginning. So now with the benefit of 2020 vision, right?

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: As you think of your growing up time period, are there certain events or stories or people that really had an outsized influence to help you become who you are today?

Speaker A: Uh, yes, and that is such a great question, uh, that I think that not many of us think about in terms of what has shaped us as leaders, uh, throughout our journey. Uh, because the inclination, and my inclination especially as well is to think about, well, what was my first job and then how did I transform throughout the years and the many different jobs and roles that we have, uh, as leaders. And so I love thinking about that and going back, uh, to think about different points in time, uh, through your formative years that were very influential in creating the people that we are today. Uh, and so I think for me, uh, it's definitely my mom.

Speaker B: Um, I knew you were going to say that.

Speaker A: I know you did. This is not new news for Nathan. Um, but, uh, just like a little bit of background, I, you know, was the. My mom, um, had me when she was 19. I, um, was the firstborn, the first daughter, uh, the first niece, the first grandchild, um, on both sides of the family. And um, I think we all know what that means, right? Like there's many people that talk about that. It's like, ooh, she's in charge. That's the boss. That's the boss of the family. And I can still hear my brothers and sisters, by the way. I'm the oldest of six, and I can still hear my brothers and sisters going, mom, Jill's not the boss of me.

Speaker B: You're like, yes, I am.

Speaker A: I did, actually. Um, and so that's really, you know, that really is the beginning of that. But then additionally, um, my mom and dad were divorced when I was seven years old. Um, and so at that point in time, my mom was 28 and had five children under the age of seven as a single mom. So, you know, and during that time, and of course my mom grew up during, um, the 60s and 70s. And you know, being a woman in the 70s, then on your own with that many. With that many children, um, and a woman in that generation, um, she became, um, you know, such a supporter and advocate of women, um, and women's rights. And so growing up, what was instilled in me is I always, you know, I'm capable, I'm smart, I can do whatever it is that I want to do. Um, and all kind of wrapped around, you're going to college. M. That's it. There was never a question in my mind growing up that I was going to college. Um, and so really thinking about that and understanding, always with the knowledge in my mind, due to my mother, that I am capable of doing whatever it is that I want to do. Um, so I'll give you. Can I share a story that I think is telling?

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: So I remember back, um, if my brothers and sisters listen to this, I'm just going to start this by saying my, um, mother had a way. My mom is, ah, 4, 10, I think. 4, 10, 4 11. Tiny, tiny woman. And so trying to wrangle and discipline, um, keep five children of that age in line. Her go to move, uh, that we call it was. She pointed her face at us. Oh, and I'm telling you, Nathan, there was nothing more terrifying than when she

Speaker B: pointed her face at you.

Speaker A: Pointed her face, yeah. Yes, exactly. And so we all, like, uh, we all know what that means. And we all, no matter when we were in college, when we were adults, no matter what, if she. To this day, we're like, oh, no,

Speaker B: what have I done?

Speaker A: What have I done now? Um, and so I remember, uh, when I was in, ah, fifth grade and grades were extremely important in our family, um, we were always, you get straight A's. That's it. That's the end of story. You work hard, you're capable, you're smart. This is the way it is. Um, and I remember being in fifth grade, uh, and I was in social studies class, and we had a project where. And I don't know, you know, Nathan, I know you're. You're quite a bit younger than me, but we had to, you know, oftentimes they'd be like, okay, so for your project to understand, you know, this tribe or whatever it was in social studies, um, you have to build a diorama or you have to build a house of what they lived in and mud. And you have to put it on this plate, you know, big wood slab. And then you have to bring it to school on the bus. And.

Speaker B: Absolutely, yes, many a project like that.

Speaker A: Okay, perfect. So I put it off. I put it off. I procrastinated. I procrastinated. And I did it at the very last minute, and it was junk.

Speaker B: Not your best work.

Speaker A: Not my best work. It was fact. It was terrible. And so all of that led to me bringing a report card home with a circle. Social studies. And I had A's and everything else, but I had a C in social studies. And I knew what was going to happen. And so I had it in my head of my talk track of how, you know, you practice it. And you're on the bus, you're like, okay, this is what I'm going to say. And this is going to work. This is really going to work. And so, report card to my mother and my mother, what is happening? And I was like, everything's going to be okay, Mom. Because my teacher told me that A, uh, C is average. Being average is okay. So do we think that my mother pointed her face at me?

Speaker B: Well, I'm guessing that she did not have an average child.

Speaker A: She did not think she had an average child. That is correct. So, um, I think that story really kind of wraps up how, you know, the expectations as a child and just making sure that you're understanding of what you're capable of and believing in yourself of the things that you can accomplish. And sky's the limit. And just because, you know, you're a woman in the 70s, um, or a child of the 70s, doesn't mean that you can't go to school and you can't be anything that you want to be. Um, and that's always been within me. And so I think being taught that at an early age, leadership isn't about anything else from a parent standpoint. And I think parents are leaders as well, which is really right. And it's something that you don't really think about until someone asks a question like you just asked me, um, about that. Because parenting is about serving and promoting and investing and advocating for and learning those lessons early on really shaped me to be who I am today. Even though my brothers and sisters still say, you're not the boss of me,

Speaker B: you're like, sure I am.

Speaker A: Oh, yes, I am.

Speaker B: Well, you, uh, know my older sister. Um, I do, my oldest sister. And, uh, she shares many of the similar traits that you just talked about for sure as well.

Speaker A: That's why I get along with your sister so well. Right.

Speaker B: And she's a great leader. You know, she's a great leader because of it. One, one question I have for you. Um, first, I love the example that your mom, it was given that she had high expectations of what you could do. And it wasn't that you, it wasn't that like you had to do it or anything like that. It's like, no, no. It has nothing to do with like, compulsory. You have to do this.

Speaker C: It's.

Speaker B: I know you're capable and you will do it because you are capable. This idea of high expectations, I think is extraordinarily powerful. As a leader, um, I have seen you drive that level of quality from the people that you work with as well, and you have those high expectations, but, man, sometimes it's heavy.

Speaker A: It is.

Speaker B: So I'd love to hear any thoughts that you have, whether it be, uh, from your growing up years as well as, um, you know, later in life. But how do we strike that balance of having high expectations of the people that we lead with or. Sorry, how do we, uh, strike that balance between having high expectations for the people that we lead but not have it so heavy that they buckle under that pressure?

Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great question. And, um, I think it's a different answer whether you're the one that has hired that person. So you are the hiring manager versus leading a person or team that you, quote, unquote, inherited. Mhm. Somehow I think there's a different answer. Because when you're the hiring manager, you can hire to those expectations and you can have a clear understanding of what the expectations are and match the capability.

Speaker B: Yeah. You know what you're getting yourself into, and I know what I'm getting myself into.

Speaker A: That's right. Because as you know, and you and I have worked together for over a decade and I think we practice this very well. Is having direct conversations and having transparent conversations is extremely important. Um, and especially when you do hold your team to higher expectations. Ah, you have to be very, ah, quick with feedback, um, and making sure that you're getting the results that you need. Um, now we've all, uh, as leaders, been tasked with leading a team that we didn't hire or didn't have a say as a hiring manager. And, uh, that is a different. In my opinion, that's a different way to lead to those expectations. Because in some cases, you have to uncover what those capabilities are for that team member, for that role. And then you have to kind of lead to bring those out to make them the most effective. And you have to be extremely supportive of those individuals and drive the confidence in them that they are capable of hitting those higher expectations.

Speaker B: I couldn't have said this better myself. M. I'm a firm believer in this principle. Leadership is my passion, and one of my favorite things is helping people discover what they're really capable of. Too many people are afraid that they can't make a difference in the world or, uh, reach lofty goals. They live in fear of high standards and subconsciously undermine their own success. As leaders, we need to model that failure isn't final, that growth is possible, and that doing your best is the most anyone can give.

Speaker A: And knowing that they have the support of the leader, knowing that it's okay to fail along the way. We all fail. I fail every single day. Um, and as long as we're learning from those failures and getting better, to lead to those high expectations. I think that's the key. Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah. Because when you come home with a C, you just have a quick conversation, A direct conversation. Hey, remember, this isn't who we are. Did you do your best work here? And I bet your answer is like, no, I didn't do my best work.

Speaker A: No, I didn't. I tried to say it was for a hot minute, you know, and then it goes back to the face, pointing and all of that.

Speaker B: Exactly. Well, so your. Your mom had this expectation you're going to college, so I'm guessing you went to college.

Speaker A: I sure did.

Speaker B: So what did you. Where did you go and what did you study?

Speaker A: So I went to UW Madison, um, in Wisconsin. Fantastic Big ten school, by the way. Go Badgers.

Speaker B: Um,

Speaker A: Um, and I went in, um, with the idea that I was going to, uh, study psychology instructions. Interestingly enough. Uh, both of my. Both of my parents, my mom and my stepdad, um, my have PhDs in psychology. And so I find that. I find the study of psychology fascinating. I find, um, you know, studying emotional intelligence and organizational behavior to be fascinating. If we want to take It a level to, to the business level. Um, but then I was like, do I want to go to school for 100 years? No, I did not. No. So naturally I switched my major to business because when you're 18 years old, that just feels like a natural transition. Um, and so I ended up majoring in finance. However, what I did to kind of bring that psychology factor, ah, back into my studies was I double majored in human, um, resource management, um, as well as finance.

Speaker B: Very cool. So, uh, you know, I think there's, there's much more openness in corporate America these days to working with people who have degrees or don't have degrees, right? I think.

Speaker A: Absolutely.

Speaker B: I think there was a very large portion of time where certain jobs. It's like, I'm not even going to interview unless you have an undergraduate degree. Um, and you know, I think that that's been a great change because not everyone has that opportunity. And there's a lot of ways to get learning and experience outside of just in the classroom. But you obviously chose the formal education route. I'm curious, what did, um, getting your formal education through your undergraduate work and fast forward a little bit. I also know that, uh, uh, you went to banking school as well, right?

Speaker A: I did, yes.

Speaker B: Yeah. So not only did you go once, you went back again to get more education. What role did that play in helping you again be the leader that you are and kind of have the career that you've had?

Speaker A: Um, so I love the setup of the question, first of all, because I also think that it's really important and really like the fact that we don't require college degrees any longer because I do believe that experience is the most important thing. Um, and the experiences that we bring to the table, um, in our everyday getting work done life, uh, doesn't necessarily require a degree for everyone. Um, but however, for myself personally, I mean, we can question whether I decided or whether I was required, uh, to go to college.

Speaker B: One in the same.

Speaker A: One and the same. Absolutely. Um, but I think one of the things that going to college helped me was to establish relationships outside of my existing world. And so you can feel like when you're going to high school that high school's the most important thing. And oh my gosh, and I'm never gonna do anything better than what I did in high school. And this is my best friend forever and ever and ever and all of those things. And you get into a different world where suddenly not only are you establishing, uh, more relationships, I would say deeper relationships, uh, but you're doing it without adult supervision for the first time in your life. And so I think for me, um, college wasn't as much what I learned in the classroom. Um, it was more about, uh, learning to establish relationships, building your emotional intelligence around that. And that's really where you kind of form your emotional intelligence. Um, in most cases, for me particularly, I had a job throughout college. And so you're balancing, um, school and life and work. And really that's the first time that you've had to do any of those things. And so for me, college was extremely important in establishing myself, um, as like kind of the groundwork into adulthood and a professional career, um, and how to begin to establish relationships in the workplace, um, which is much different than in establishing them in life.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So it sounds, it's almost like a next step progression without having to go all the way. It's a little bit of a safer space, um, than just going out completely on your own. But there is more freedom and there is more learning than the environment where you're at home and in high school.

Speaker A: That's right, absolutely. And what I love about it is that this may sound strange, but you don't recognize that you're learning at that age. Yeah, but you're just a sponge. Right? But you don't think about it in those terms. It's just you're going about and doing what you've got to do. But when you go back and take a step back and look, oh my gosh, there's such important formative years, um, in some of those things that we talked about. And for me it's number one was building emotional intelligence.

Speaker B: Yeah. No, that's great. Yeah. 18 to 22 year olds aren't necessarily super great at, uh, self reflection or, uh, introspection quite yet.

Speaker A: No, not at all. I wasn't anyway.

Speaker B: I wasn't either. There is definitely a lot of learning going on that I didn't realize was learning. Yeah, for sure. So you had a job on your college.

Speaker C: What'd you do?

Speaker A: Oh my gosh. So I. So first of all, when I was in high school, I worked in a grocery store.

Speaker B: Were you a bagger?

Speaker A: No, I was, I was, um, checkout girl, but my brother was a bagger. Um, and my other brother worked in produce and then my sister worked in the meat department and then my other sister worked in the bakery. This was the whole family thing.

Speaker B: Yeah. Is it the filer supermarket?

Speaker A: Well, Mueller.

Speaker B: Mueller, that's right, Mueller.

Speaker A: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Maiden name. Mueller. Um, it was not, but we all did work there. Um, and so I was in grocery store and then when I went to college, um, I got a job at uh, the front desk of my dorm. And so this is the extrovertness in me that was coming out is like how many people can I meet and be friends with at once? And that's going to be the front desk of the dorm because you know, back then we still got mail and we still got packages and you know, I sold the laundry tickets and the meal tickets and all of that kind of stuff. So I, you know, got to know everybody. Um, and then when I moved out of the dorm, I worked at Haagen, um, Dazs ice cream shop on State street in Madison, Wisconsin.

Speaker B: What's your favorite flavor?

Speaker A: My favorite flavor is Swiss almond vanilla.

Speaker B: Mhm. I would like some right now, please.

Speaker A: Check it out at a grocer near

Speaker B: you, um, the Mueller grocery store.

Speaker A: Yeah, there you go. Uh, so it's interesting again looking back on the choices that you make with your part time jobs through your college career. Uh, because then my senior year in college I uh, was a teller at a bank.

Speaker B: Ooh, here's the foreshadowing.

Speaker A: There it is. And so you know, all of the common themes there uh, are really customer service and being in front of people and helping people. Um, which obviously has shaped me into the roles that I've, that I've um, had throughout my career.

Speaker B: Yeah, any type of person, whoever walks in that door, you're going to figure out how to, how to help them, how to create a relationship, how to create a connection.

Speaker A: That's right. And the ice cream store, Fun Fact, stayed open until um, 2am M on Saturday nights in the summer.

Speaker C: Oh wow.

Speaker A: So you can imagine who you're getting

Speaker B: at 1am on a Saturday. Yeah.

Speaker A: Yes, exactly. A very fun job.

Speaker B: That's awesome. So you did end your college career though at a bank?

Speaker A: I did, I did.

Speaker B: And so was it a natural transition like when you graduated, did you know you wanted to be a banker because you, because you stepped into the teller world. So what drew you to it? What drew you to banking?

Speaker A: So um, uh, when I was at Madison, I took my business focus obviously to take general business credits and some of my electives. I started taking banking classes and I really enjoyed uh, the idea of banking and especially around how important banks are to the communities that they serve and the role that they play in the communities throughout the United States. And so, um, one of my best friend's mother worked at a regional bank, um, and got her and I both jobs as tellers in a drive through only bank. They don't have those anymore. Um, but we, it was the best job ever in college. Uh, we worked three to six every day and then we worked every single Saturday eight to 12. Um, best job ever. And so it felt very. Since my finance degree was heavily focused on banking, I took m every banking class that that was given at Madison. Uh, and then I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed the customer aspect of it. Um, I enjoyed the bank that I worked for which isn't around anymore. Uh, and they heavily promoted on the development of their employees. And so I was able to, while I was in college, I was able to train as a personal banker during that time and then when I graduated was able to immediately move into a full time personal banker role, uh, which was absolutely fantastic.

Speaker B: So you graduated and you stayed at that same bank and you went from teller to personal banker.

Speaker A: That's right.

Speaker B: Fast forwarding a little bit. How long did you end up staying at that organization?

Speaker A: So, uh, that organization, I stayed for 15 years. Um, they were very good to me. I was always on the retail side of the house. I was a branch manager, I was a hub manager, kind of moving up the ranks there. Uh, the mistake that that regional bank made is um, sending me to graduate school of Banking, which kind of gets back to your education. Um, conversation is. And so Graduate School of Banking is a three year program, uh, for bankers to uh, grow and expand in your banking knowledge, uh, you know, new and innovative ideas that are coming, uh, human resources, like the whole gamut. It's basically for up and coming bank presidents and CEOs is what the program is for. Uh, and so a lot of community bankers, uh, utilize the program as an important part of their succession planning, which is really cool.

Speaker B: Regular listeners of this show will know that I'm an advocate for education of all types. Conventional and not so conventional. Although Jill may have gotten recruited away from the NC institution that sent her to get her master's, there's an important lesson here. You won't win the hearts of your team if you try to keep people trapped. A leader's job is to help others uncover their passions, talents, and the unique contributions that only they can make. You can cultivate the soil, you can plant the seeds, but the growth, it's out of your control.

Speaker A: What wasn't cool for the regional bank that I worked at is that I met a whole lot of community bankers and was immediately recruited after year one, uh, to a community bank. During my time at graduate school of Banking. I transitioned from, um, a large regional bank over to a community bank.

Speaker B: Yeah, uh, before we move over to the community bank, I just, uh, would love to hear. Are there any particular stories or people during that time period at that regional bank that, uh, helped to shape you to be the leader that you are? Obviously you found success as you got, you know, promotion from promotion. They ended up, you know, even sending you to the graduate school of banking. But I'm just curious if any particular stories come to mind.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great question. Uh, and I think one of the biggest, um, one of the biggest things that I got out of, uh, working at that regional bank is the importance of building relationships with your team and what those boundaries kind of look like when you're establishing relationships and friendships, um, because those lines can get really blurry. But you're with these people the majority of your day. Right? And so you're bound to establish friendships. And I did just that during, during my time there. And, you know, the. I can think of two, uh, women in particular that I established meaningful friendships with, um, that I'm friends with to this day. Uh, in fact, um, one of them, I was the personal attendant in her wedding. Um, and really great story is that one of them just hired the other one within the last year to be on her wealth management team for a regional bank. Because I kind of pulled those together. But it wasn't so much. It was more about what they taught me in that it is okay, it's absolutely wonderful to be friends with the people that you work with and the employees that you have, but it's also okay to make sure that those expectations are still being set and met. And those two women really taught me that and taught me the importance of not only relationships, but the importance of the fact that I learned so much from those two women along the way to shape me to be who I am.

Speaker B: Yeah. No, I love that. And I think, uh, I'm sure you're not the only one that has received this advice, but it's like, if you're going to be managing a team, don't be friends with any of them. Right. I mean, that's kind of. That's kind of an, I would say an older school point of view, but definitely, I think a lot of people still subscribe to it. Um, and I think the reason is, is because, man, does it put you in an awkward position when you actually have to let someone go.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: Or something like that. So I would just love to hear, because obviously I'm on the camp of, dude, I want to be friends with everybody. Right. I just love people. And, um, like you said, you and I have worked together forever, and I would consider you one of my best friends that I have. Um, but we still had tough and hard conversations. But, like, how do you balance that? Or, I guess, what would you say for advice for people who might be thinking that they can't be friends with any of their team members? Um, to maybe open up that door a little bit, but to how not to kind of cross the boundaries?

Speaker A: Yeah. Um, I think that's a great question. And I think it starts with respect for each other and respect for the roles that we have, and that understanding that tough conversations are going to happen, and that's okay, because if there's not respect for each other, you're not going to enter into a friendship anyway. Um, and so I think, personally, the best relationships that I've had, whether it's me being the leader or like you said, Nathan, you being my leader for so long, I think our friendship absolutely elevated the. The work that we did together because of our friendship and because of the respect that we have for each other. I wanted to make you look good because you were my friend, and so. And you did. Right. Why, thank you. Um, but so that. That would be the. You know, that would be the advice that I would have, is that don't be scared of it, because having friendships at work enhances the relationship. It enhances the fun that we have and the goals that we're hitting together, the success that we're sharing, and we don't have time to shy away from direct conversations and not getting to where we want to be. Um, and so as long as you're honest with each other and transparent and have that respect, it's just the best.

Speaker B: Yeah. No, I love that, and thank you for sharing it. The one other thing that came to mind is also realize that you might actually lose the friend. Right?

Speaker A: Yes, good point.

Speaker B: Um, and it's hard and it's difficult, but I can think of examples in my life, and I'm sure you can with yours, that, uh, someone that you did become friends with, in the end, hard decision did have to be made, or a hard conversation had to be made and feelings were hurt and the friendship was lost. Um, but I think it's worth it, right? I think it's worth it to put yourself out, out there and accept that as a. As a possible risk. I mean, obviously you want to do what you can to not have that happen, but I think it's inevitable. That it will.

Speaker A: I agree. And the reward is worth the risk because I will tell you, the majority of my best friends right now, today, outside of my sister, because if she listens to the. That she would kill me. Um, is all from work. All from work relationships. Every single one. And so that, to me is worth it. Is worth the risk.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker C: All right.

Speaker B: So they convinced you go from a regional bank to a community bank.

Speaker A: That's right.

Speaker B: Was there something particular that drew you to a community bank specifically, or was it just the people at that community bank that, um, really drew you there?

Speaker A: Yeah, so it was the people. Um, but it was also this idea of, uh, not feeling like a number. And I'm not saying that, you know, the. I'm not saying I felt like a number at the regional bank. Sometimes I did. Um, but there really is that, you know, culture and bureaucracy that goes along with that where, um, I don't know everybody that works at my company. I don't. Um, and so the idea of moving to a community bank that had just under 100 employees at the time felt really special to me. And something that, oh my gosh, is this a place where I can actually influence change? Where I'm going to have a say that I'm not going to be just a number, where maybe my ideas matter? And that alone was very appealing to me.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So how long did you end up being at this community bank?

Speaker A: So I was at that community bank for six years. Six or seven years.

Speaker B: Six or seven years. And um, just to kind of fast forward, to kind of close out that picture as you look at your banking career. So you're at the regional bank for about 15 years, the first community bank. You stepped into your six years and then what's kind of the. The rest of your journey there from a banker's perspective?

Speaker A: Yeah. So, um, so at the. So basically those were my only two banks that, that I worked. Worked with. Um, and so the community bank, I started as, um, the. The, uh, head of retail. So, you know, including all the branch employees and um, digital banking and, and those types of things. Um, and then, uh, as I ended my career there, I ended as the president of the bank. Um, and so when I left the bank, um, you're kind of at a crossroads. And so it's a matter of. I was making the decision to leave because it was in a very small community. I found myself, uh, uh, an empty nester. And I was like, huh, what am I going to do next? What is the next phase? And is it that I Want to retire my career or as a banker, um, in a very small community, and is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? Um, and I came to the conclusion that it was not. And so I really took some time to figure out, uh, within the banking space, what else is there? Where else can I go that I can remain in the industry that I know and love, but perhaps serve it in a different way?

Speaker B: Yeah. So what's interesting to me. So you had. You were brought up by a very strong willed, um, mother that was like, hey, you can take on the world. And by the way, you're going to take on the world. And, uh, you could do anything, and you will do anything. You pick an industry that. And a lot of them. A lot of them did, but definitely banking had a very strong glass ceiling for women.

Speaker A: Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Speaker B: But you won the game, right? You won the game. You became president of the bank. Right. Like, that's awesome. And then you're like, okay, I'm good. I want to move on. This has to have been, like, a big decision for you. I mean, that type of transition, like, just take me through kind of that thought process. Do you remember kind of when you made that decision?

Speaker A: I do, I do. And it's interesting, um, because my entire mindset was around. This kind of gets away from the topic of. Of the podcast here, Nathan, but it gets around me getting out of leadership. M. Um. And so. And you're part of the story.

Speaker B: Well, yes, sorry.

Speaker A: Um, so I. When I really stopped and think, thought about, you know, where, um, where my. I was focusing on where I felt stressed, um, and where, uh, where I thought that I could make the best impact in my next. In my next adventure. And one of the things that I. I was thinking about was, hey, what if, um, you know, I wasn't. Because I've been. I've been leading since I was 23 years old. I've been in some sort of supervisor, manager, leader role. And, you know, so that is.

Speaker B: It's hard.

Speaker A: 20 people. Yeah. 20 years of very hard. And, um, you know, and when I sat and thought about it, all I was thinking about at that point in time was I wasn't focusing on the positive things that we just discussed here. I wasn't reflecting on that. I was just thinking that everywhere I turned, it was, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill. And everyone looked at me to be making the decisions and me to be doing the things. And I thought, you know, would it be refreshing if I was an individual

Speaker B: contributor it's easy to put executive leaders on a pedestal, but when you're in charge, there's no escaping the problems. They're like dandelions. No matter how many you've dealt with, more are always popping up. And the threat of burnout looms over you constantly. Unless you can embrace that, it's impossible to solve all the problems. That's not where the real gains come from anyway. They come from watching your team grow and become leaders in their own right.

Speaker A: And I was responsible for myself and potentially a portfolio of clients, let's say. And how great would that be and would my stress go away and would I not have anxiety and all of those types of things? And so fast forward, um, I found a absolutely fantastic Fintech, uh, company, uh, that uh, was excited to hire me, a former banker, um, as part of their client success team, um, to help manage uh, the clients and consult to the clients with the software that we were offering them. Um, and that's where I met Nathan Baumeister.

Speaker B: Well, so you moved from the light side of banking to the dark side, the tech side.

Speaker A: That's right. Uh, yes. Clients love when I say I'm a recovered banker.

Speaker B: Was it scary for you to have that type of switch that far in your career?

Speaker A: It was so scary. It was so scary.

Speaker B: How did you get past that? Like how did you, how did you move past the fear? Because I think there's a lot of people that are like that wanted to make big moves.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: But the fear paralyzes them a bit.

Speaker A: Yeah. So I think what got me over the fear was a couple of things. Number one, um, was I get and understand banking was, was something in my head. But then the second thing was I'm only going to be responsible for myself and I can do that. I can work as hard as I need to work to make sure that I'm executing on what I need to execute on because I'm only responsible for myself now. And that got me over the fear until I walked in the door and realized this is an entirely different experience and world. And while my knowledge that I brought, you know, the past 20 plus years of banking experience that I brought with me to the table is great. It was only the tip of the iceberg.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And my then crippling fear took over, that I wasn't smart enough, I wasn't good enough.

Speaker B: Yeah. Well how did you get over that then?

Speaker A: I had a leader at the time, uh, that he, he's the one that hired me, uh, and by the way, resigned, uh, to go to another. Another role on my fifth day. Uh, so that didn't help. Uh, however, before he left, he. When I shared with him point blank, I don't think I can do this, and I don't think I'm good enough and smart enough and all of those things. And I think I made a mistake. And so there's the importance of direct communication. Yep.

Speaker B: Because if you internalize, you're super, super vulnerable at that point. Right, exactly. That's radical transparency, for sure.

Speaker A: Yes, exactly. And he started laughing. He just started laughing.

Speaker B: That's an appropriate response, I'm sure.

Speaker A: And said, um, what? You have been here, Jill, for three business days, and you're. You. We hired you for a reason. Your resume speaks for itself. You are so capable of doing this job. And he was so supportive and heard me out and actually really listened to my fears and what I was nervous and what I was scared about. Um, and he, uh, matched me with another member of the team that can help me get through, um, the anxiety and the fear that I was going through. Um, which, by the way, is my best friend to this day. Um, and that in itself, just somebody being there to say, you're wrong.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And you can absolutely do this. But then taking it a step further, to put something into motion, to execute a plan to make sure that I felt supported and that I would get what I needed to be successful.

Speaker B: Yeah. What a beautiful story. And I think it just. It's a reminder that you need to put yourself in a place to be with people who care and want to support. And, um, sometimes, hopefully, you can find it in the person you report to, right?

Speaker A: Yes, absolutely.

Speaker B: But sometimes you can. And so maybe there's. That's where you need to broaden your network. You need to have the right mentors. You need to have the right support network. You need to have the right friends that might be able to do that and buoy you up in those times of need as well. But what a beautiful story. And I love, Just absolutely love that it was. Yes, you're capable. Yes, you can do it. But I also hear you, and I see that you could need that. There are things that I can do to help you with that. Why don't you get together with that person? Uh, what a cool story.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker B: So five days in, your hiring manager left, but there was this beautiful story of support. You're like, okay, I got it now. I got it now. I have some coworkers that I could work with. Um, and your dream of being an individual contributor, uh, lasted how Long, Jill.

Speaker A: That lasted for seven months.

Speaker B: Um, I think seven months was a good run.

Speaker A: I do too.

Speaker B: Now, I know this story, but you have to tell it. You have to tell this story.

Speaker A: This is a great story. Um, seven months in and, uh, the company is reorganizing the client success team and trying to figure out a way to focus, put our arms around the customers in a different way, um, and driving satisfaction, driving growth, driving all of those metrics, low churn, retention, all of those things. Uh, the reorganizing and putting into place regional, um, managers for the client success team. And wanted to look at it potentially in a geographical way, which actually worked out really well and was a very smart move. And, uh, so all of a sudden there were, you know, we had, I'm going to say call it 20, 20, 25 client success managers. And now we're creating, uh, breaking those into four teams and hiring four regional managers, uh, to lead those teams. And the postings came out and I was like, oh, that's nice, and went about my day. And then enter one Nathan, who pulled me aside and said, uh, hey, Jill, so you're going to apply for one of these regional manager roles, right? And I said, nope. He goes.

Speaker B: And Nathan stopped right then. Right.

Speaker A: That's. He just, he just looked at me and you're like, really? Nope. And can you tell me why? And I said, and went through all of the story that I just told about being an individual contributor. And, uh, this is, this is where I feel like I want to live, uh, for a little bit longer. And you, you let it go that day. But then the next day I remember having the exact same conversation and you started it the exact same way, which in hindsight just makes me laugh, uh, where I like parallelism, repetition. Nathan, um, and so this went on for a couple of days, and every time we had the conversation, you got a little bit deeper and asked me more probing questions, um, talked about the capabilities that I could bring to the table, um, and the success that I would see with those teams, uh, the success that we would see as an organization, um, and just emphatically stating that I was the right person, um, to take on one of these roles. Uh, and so you drove confidence in me that I could do it. Really drove home, uh, my past experience, experience as a leader and what that would mean to the team, uh, to drive success, having that kind of support for the client success team. And so, uh, we ended up having really good conversations and I, uh, ended up applying for the role.

Speaker B: And then you didn't get it. Just kidding.

Speaker A: Well, I don't know if we'd be having this conversation then. Nathan M.

Speaker B: No, I. You know, it's. I remember at that time, uh, so the organization that we. That we were with was going through a lot of growth. There were a lot of changes going on. And, uh, quite honestly, I knew that we needed Jill in that position. Right. We needed you, uh, to be in that position based off of what was there. Like, obviously, we would have. I would have. We would have totally respected the decision if you didn't apply.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker B: Like, that totally would have been fine. Um, but there was. There was a real need, and you brought unique experience, unique leadership skills that didn't exist in the company at that time, in that department that I was like, man, is there a real, real reason why she doesn't want to do this? Because, man, we could definitely use your help. And I'm curious, uh, that.

Speaker C: That.

Speaker B: That call to serve, if you will, um, how much. How much of that had to played into the decision where you finally did decide, like, yeah, I'm gonna. I'll go ahead and do this. I'll throw my hat in the ring.

Speaker A: Yeah. I would say. I would say the majority. That was the majority of the reason why I decided to do it. And, uh, I'll tell you that it was one of the best decisions that I've made in my career. And the reason is because, um, I'm glad I took six months off or whatever it was, uh, to be an individual contributor, because when I got back into a leadership position, it really hit home for me how much I absolutely love it. And the feelings that I were feeling, uh, previously were based on something else. It wasn't the people that I was serving, um, and it wasn't the company that I was serving. It was more turning point in my life, uh, kind of as a whole, and evaluating where I was. And so, yes, it was the call to serve. Yes. Uh, that understanding that my impact can yield great things. Um, but the whole recognition of the love of leading by making that decision was very powerful for me.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think that's great. You had a wonderful run leading that team at multiple different levels until you're actually over that team, uh, completely. Um, which then, foreshadowing. You and I had another similar conversation we did at the next transition. But I'm curious, as you think about the rest of your experience at AH Casas, are there any other stories that kind of come to mind that helped really, uh, uh, define who you are as a leader?

Speaker A: One of the Big attributes as a leader that I think is very important is the ability to influence change management. And it's really, really important to understand that it's not just about the team that you're leading when you're looking at change management. So direction, whether that's directional change, uh, organizational change, um, product change, just new ideas that we're doing. From a delivery perspective, you have to have the ability to influence and motivate and educate not only your team, but your peers, your leaders, stakeholders, um, whether, whether there's a board involved, whether there's

Speaker B: shareholders involved, Surprise, surprise. I couldn't agree more with Jill on this one. I've watched leaders of all types struggle to recognize how wide their circle of influence really is. If you don't learn how to guide change management and take full ownership for how stakeholders experience and perceive that change, you're going to deal with constant friction. You can't force people to change, but there's a lot that you can do to help them see it coming and know how it will affect their day to day life. Change isn't easy, but there's no universal law that says it always has to be painful.

Speaker A: And so my time there uh, really helped shape that particular leadership attribute for me that is just critical um, for the next phase of where I am in my career. And so I'm over the moon, thankful that I had that opportunity, uh, to be able to sharpen that skill in a really positive way.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, I love that. And um, I've definitely seeing you throughout the time that just I've worked with you, um, that skill level just increasing, increasing, increasing and getting those learnings, uh, which is absolutely critical. I think a lot of people don't spend enough time really thinking about architecting change management and um, what that means and really understanding the players that are involved, how hard it's going to be.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: How much more you have to communicate, you know, all those different types of, of things. So.

Speaker A: But within that, uh, can I just say one more thing there?

Speaker B: Yeah, please.

Speaker A: Because within that um, is also the opportunity to receive feedback when you're trying to influence change, which can also shape what you're trying to change. Right. In a, in a much more positive way. Because the more you have those conversations with your, with your peers and your outside influences and those you're trying uh, to influence with whatever it is you're going to naturally get feedback that helps you get to a better spot collectively.

Speaker B: Yeah, I love I said that.

Speaker A: Right, but you know what I mean.

Speaker B: Oh, I think you said it. Right. So fast forwarding, you know, uh, you end up making the decision to, uh, leave Casasa, and I find out about it and I happened, and I happened to be starting a company that I really needed, a chief client officer, and you were basically at the top of my list. So I was like, dude, we need to get together and I want you to be your chief client officer. Um, which kicked off this whole story at ah, Z Suite Tech. And then fast forward even from there. I make the decision that time for me to step aside as ah, CEO, uh, so I can pursue some, some other dreams that I have, uh, to pursue. I remember making that same similar call. Hey, Jill, I think I have another leadership challenge for you. I only share this, like, in this succession because evidently I, uh, like inviting you to do hard things.

Speaker A: Yeah, you do. What's up with that?

Speaker B: Thank you for always accepting the call.

Speaker A: Obviously, I'm always going to take the call. You should always take the call.

Speaker B: You should always take the call.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. That whole story, Nathan, is so, um, validating for much of this conversation about building friendships and building, um, work relationships out of respect and knowing that we can do hard things and, you know, that gets us to that next level. Like, it's just such a beautiful succession story, I believe.

Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. As you, as you think about your time at ah, Z Suite, um, I'm curious if you have any particular story that you might want to share that has helped you kind of in this stage?

Speaker A: That's a good question. You know, as we talked about every stage of our life, we're learning and we're growing and we're experiencing different things to help shape us as human beings, really. And I think one of the things that has helped me develop into who I am today, specifically with Z Suite, is even though we're in leadership roles, every employee at the company is important. Every employee, um, has an opinion and wants to provide feedback about how to make things better. And Nathan, you know this better than anyone. As the CEO. You're not the end all, be all. In fact, the employees are the most important thing. They know more than you know, they know more than I know. And it's really, really important for those employees to feel heard and for us to listen, really listen to what they have to say. I don't know, somebody said that once, Nathan. Oh, yeah, it was you. Um, but really, really listen to what they have to say and that's. And not be performative about it and making sure that you're taking that feedback and executing on it. And if you're not going to. Going back and telling them why. And it's not just a matter of making them, um, you know, having a collaborative environment, which is important. And that's a great, um, you know, a great value add with that. But really fundamentally, it's because they know more than I do. They just do. And so it's important to say those things out loud and to understand that and to not let your ego get in the way. Um, it's just. It's been an extremely, um, humbling experience. And, you know, just eyes wide open. It's just been fantastic to learn that and, um, to feel it every single day.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, I. I love that. And it's. It's funny because it's like, I always love looking for win win situations, right?

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: So they get a win because people feel heard, right? They feel. They feel like their opinions matter. But then the company gets a win because you also get better input for everyone to make better decisions. So it's like, right, why doesn't everyone do this? Why doesn't everyone do it?

Speaker A: I mean, if we wanted a real story, we could talk about the time that you tried to throw me off a cliff. But, you know.

Speaker B: Well, look, look, I was helping you climb the cliff, not throw you off the cliff. And just for those of you that are listening, cliff is in air quotes, by the way.

Speaker A: Hey, I have my side of the story, you have yours.

Speaker B: That's true. That's true. And then there's this other piece of the story, which are called facts, which we don't care about anymore.

Speaker A: We don't. We only care about my perception. And my perception is you are trying to throw me off a cliff, and it's a better story. Let's not let facts get in the way of a really good story.

Speaker B: Exactly. Team building. Team building.

Speaker A: Exactly.

Speaker B: Totally worth it. All right, so as we wrap up our time together, um, I have two questions for you. First, uh, I love getting book recommendations from the people I talk to, but I don't want to get, like, the typical business book recommendations. So do you have any recommendations for our audience for a non business book?

Speaker A: Nathan, as you know, I am.

Speaker B: You can't give us a list of 100.

Speaker A: Okay, fine. Well, here's the deal, is that I typically someone asked me this question, and I have to go back in my whole years of growing up and take a look at all of my books that I've read. And I'm a huge Stephen King fan. Um, love Stephen King. Love Stephen King. Uh, however, some of the books that I have read lately, and I'm talking about within the last six months have been absolutely unbelievable, um, and driving different lessons, uh, that I am just astounded by. And I don't know if it's just my maturity. We don't need to talk about my age, um, but that I'm reading in a different way, um, even if it's for entertainment and fiction purposes. So, um, that is a very long setup to a very simple question. Um, not shocking for you, I'm sure. Um, but one of the books that I most recently read is called the Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Um, and it is an absolutely fantastic, wonderful story. So highly recommend that. Um, and then another book. I know you said one, but I'm going to get two because I can't help myself. Uh, the other book that I recently read is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Speaker B: Okay, I will have to check out both of those.

Speaker A: Absolutely fantastic. Yeah.

Speaker B: Uh, we share very similar tastes in books that we enjoy, so I can't wait to pick those up. All right, and now our final question that we always like to ask everybody that comes onto the podcast. From your perspective, is leader born or is a leader made?

Speaker A: Good question. Uh, I would say both. Everybody's favorite answer. And I think. I think we're born. I think we're nurtured in different ways. My story, um, into being leaders in whatever way that is, in whatever way you're born with, from a skill set perspective. So I think there is an element of that. Um, however, I think you do have to be a person that is open to learning and growing and developing as a leader and taking everything from your environment, uh, to be better and better every single day, whether that's your family, whether that's a book, whether that's your community, whether that's your employees, whether that's your peers, you're taking every piece of learning, and if you're willing to do that, you can be an excellent leader.

Speaker B: Yeah. Um, well, you get the final word on Builder Banker Hacker Chief to the answer that question. So.

Speaker C: Wow.

Speaker B: We all know that the last person who answers it, it's the right answer. So a plus on that one.

Speaker A: Thank you.

Speaker B: Um, Jill, I couldn't have come up with a better way, uh, for us to finish this experiment that we kicked off several years ago in Builder Banker Hackerchief, than interviewing the new CEO of Z Suite Tech. Thank you so much for joining me.

Speaker A: Thank you, Nathan. This has been absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed the conversation so, so, so much.

Speaker B: Absolutely. And thank you for being such an awesome part of my life.

Speaker A: Thank you as well.

Speaker B: The professor J. Carla Nort Cut once said, the goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves. Which is is also an excellent answer to the question, is a leader born or made? Leaders are people who see qualities and potential in us that we cannot see ourselves. They call us beyond the confines of comfort and easy answers. They invite us to use whatever power we have to make the world a better place. When I first met Jill Filer, I could see that she brought so much more than a Master's in banking and a career and leadership. Jill was the type of person who could help her team to unlock potential and see their own gifts and talents more clearly. She also wasn't too proud to serve where the need was greatest without needing the spotlight. Today I'm humbled and honored to watch her lead Zsweet forward and I'll be cheering her on as her friend. This interview is special in so many ways, equal parts ending and beginning. Don't forget to check the show notes for her book recommendations as we bring Builder Banker, Hacker Chief to a close. I'd like to take a moment to thank you our listeners. May these 25 episodes continue to light the way for new and upcoming leaders in finance, technology and beyond. I'd also like to thank the team that has made the show possible in the first place, including Katherine Ring, Zack Garver, Andrew Bales, Shelby Hoffpaur, and Nathan Butler at Nimblewit Productions. Also, a heartfelt thank you to every one of our guests. You were beyond generous with the one resource. None of us can get any more of your time.

Speaker C: Hi, I'm Zach Garver, the producer, writer and editor of Builder Banker Hackerchief. When Nathan, Katherine and I first started batting around the idea of starting a podcast for Z Suite, I was thrilled and nervous at how much creative freedom they gave me over and over again. Their trust and feedback allowed me to create work that I am extremely proud of. I count myself blessed to have worked on this show show and learned from Nathan and the all star lineup of guests that he put together. It was like being a fly on the wall of 25 boardrooms each time. I just hoped that I could do justice to the vulnerability and wisdom on display. Sometimes the hardest thing you can do as an artist is step out of the way and allow light to shine through. Even though this is a goodbye of sorts. If you enjoyed the show, please please continue to share it with your friends and colleagues. For the foreseeable future, it will remain available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, and Spotify.

Speaker B: Sam.