Celebrating Achievements and Developing Leadership: Takeaways From the 2023 IBA Women in Banking Conference

Shareholder Casey Hicks and attorney Laura Alms recently attended the annual Illinois Bankers Association (IBA) Women in Banking Conference held in Springfield, Illinois from September 13^th-14^th. This marks the third year that Weltman has attended the conference. This year's event was filled with empowering presentations on industry insights and personal growth as well as valuable networking opportunities.  
 
While difficult to narrow down the powerful insights, there were several stand-out takeaways to keep in mind. See below!

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1. Negotiating for yourself

Negotiation is a powerful tool for success in business and in life. No matter the context, you are your own best advocate and ally. Yet, honing the skill to negotiate for yourself takes work and practice. It all starts with authenticity and honesty with yourself regarding your goals, skills, and weaknesses. After honest self-reflection and evaluation, you can begin to build your own personal brand, understand your position within any setting, sell your value, and position yourself for success. 
 

None of us have made it where we are today without help from others. Unfortunately, women make up a majority of the banking workforce, while being severely underrepresented in leadership. In addition to self-advocacy, two key actions to maximize the advancement of women in the workplace are to advocate for other women and to seek out ally-ship from male counterparts. Women leveraging their power and success in the workplace to help other women and men using their standing to confront sexism and help support women has been shown to create a better workplace, and stronger teams, and result in more promotions and raises for women.   
 

There are many emerging bank trends impacting the roles of women bankers in community banks. Among these are Fintech partnerships, crypto activities, and customers with marijuana-related businesses. Further, the recent bank failures of early 2023 have shaken up the industry. Understanding the risks, key indicators, and staying on top of these trends is an important component to becoming a vital member of any banking team.

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Following this motivating conference, our team returned to the office with renewed energy and focus. We are already looking forward to next year's conference as Weltman's Illinois women lawyers continue to support Illinois women bankers! If you have any questions about this conference or our consumer collections, real estate default, and/or probate recovery solutions, connect with Casey and/or Laura at any time. 

This blog is not a solicitation for business, and it is not intended to constitute legal advice on specific matters, create an attorney-client relationship or be legally binding in any way.