A selection of high performing FBNBank employees, who have been learning useful lessons from a special session with Dr. Alhassan Andani, former Managing Director of Stanbic Bank Ghana, have been advised to focus on building a good reputation in order to progress in their careers.
The engagement session which forms part of several platforms for interacting with and guiding the current group of high performers of the Bank had Dr. Andani, who is also the Paramount Chief of Pishigu in the Dagbon Traditional Area as the special guest and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FBNBank, Mr. Victor Yaw Asante as host.
Speaking to the group, Dr. Andani said, “carving and maintaining a very good reputation is essential to your growth and development in the bank. Reputation is very important, because your reputation precedes you as a person and transcends what you do for your organisation, and at certain places, it goes beyond what you do for your country. Using an executive as an example, he said that executive had been able to carve out a positive reputation for himself outside of the bank by reason of all he had done prior to joining the bank. Moreover, that Executive had been able to make use of his role as a social leader by virtue of his position to build for himself a positive image which earns him the respect and acknowledgement wherever he finds himself. For you in this high performers programme, that should be your trajectory; building a reputable image.”
Dr. Andani explained that what would keep anyone in the talent programme would be that person’s own dedication and work output rather than favouritism or nepotism. This is because their performance will offer a reputational impact on the leadership of the Bank particularly the Managing Director, Head of Human Resources and the specific departmental heads who put those individuals on the programme. He pointed out that for reasons such as these, leaders will be guided by good governance to only put the best performers on the programme.
He therefore charged the cohort to strive to sustain the trust that their leaders have reposed in them and to live up to the responsibilities assigned them. Dr. Andani added that “at the mid-level management, your talent must be recognized across your peer group in the industry. Your reputation at this stage sometimes becomes your parachute to move to other companies or the launch pad to higher positions within your organisation.”
Dr. Andani advised the Bank’s high performers talent to examine their career choices critically to ensure that they use paths which provide them the relevant guardrails for improved performance and growth. He mentioned the benefits of working for good brands and in organisations with a wealth of experience and a good reputation. He indicated that in most of such corporate entities employees benefit from good governance structures to grow and these include the maturity of the company’s leadership. According to him, “brand, depth of governance, and maturity of leadership in the organisation should be key lookouts when considering a career move. Failure to regard these will leave you stranded and frustrated in an organisation that lacks these pillars.”
At the end of the engagement session, Mr. Victor Yaw Asante, thanked Dr. Andani for his support and urged the group to take advantage of the great opportunities being offered them. “Take every advantage of opportunities that come your way and I am hoping that in the next five to 10 years, one of you would take up this role as Managing Director of FBNBank”, he added.
The FBNBank high performers programme is aimed at developing a pipeline of leaders for the Bank, ensuring consistent solid performance for the Bank’s teams and business. The programme provides a competitive platform for the high performers within each year group across all levels in the Bank, offering them technical and soft skills including mentoring sessions to guide their development and performance.
