08.14.24
Lights, Camera, Leadership: Insights From the BISA Annual Conference
by: BISA Staff
At the 2024 BISA Annual Conference, Mike Miroballi of Huntington shared his 10 tips for leadership through the lens of popular movie quotes. The Annual Conference brings together industry leaders of all kinds — program leaders, product leaders, technology innovators, sales leaders, compliance leaders and many others. As one of those leaders, Miroballi, in his last talk as BISA president, offered his perspective and valuable takeaways.
10. Listen without judging.
“Be curious, not judgmental.” — Ted Lasso
Leaders don’t start with the answers. They ask questions to understand and learn. They also allow the people they interact with to be heard.
9. Be selfless.
“Happiness begins where selfishness ends.” — John Wooden
Servant leaders enjoy the success of their team instead of wishing to be in the spotlight. It’s not about you. Your customer and your team always come first.
8. Be humble.
“These shoes keep me humble.” — Mr. T.
Mr. T., an actor, wears shoes that are not the most on-trend to remind himself where he came from.
7. Maintain composure. Don’t act on emotion.
“We’ve got to keep our composure!” — Frank the Tank, Old School
Your team is looking at how you react to adversity. It’s okay to be human and to show vulnerability, but you need to gather yourself and work through the issue to a solution.
6. Show empathy.
“Did you get the memo?” — Bill Lumbergh, Office Space
Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Empathy is a core element of emotional intelligence. Without it, you can never have fellowship.
5. Be transparent.
“There are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then there's 50 feet of crap, and then there's us.” — Billy Beane
You must be open and candid to build trust with your team. They deserve clear understanding of the situation so they can help solve the problem.
4. Act with integrity.
“Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” — Julius, Remember the Titans
In the movie Remember the Titans, the character Gary was treating his white teammates differently. Actions serve as an example for all to follow. Whether you know it or not, your team is watching you. Your team will have zero tolerance of a leader who they believe can't be trusted. If you mess up once, it will be difficult to earn that trust back.
3. Have the courage to change.
“Most of the time change is a good thing, and I think that’s what it’s all about — embracing change.” — Ted Lasso
Leaders not only accept change, but they also embrace it. Most leadership growth moments have come from significant change.
2. Motivate and inspire.
“You were born for this time.” — Herb Brooks, Miracle
As a leader, there are a few things you can do that are more important than motivating and inspiring your team. You have to show the big picture and that you are working toward a cause that is bigger than ourselves.
1. Be resilient.
“It ain’t about how hard you can hit; it’s about how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward.” — Rocky Balboa
Resilience is so important in a leader. You’ll face adversity many times in your career. The larger your leadership role, the more frequent situations like this will be. Our industry will always face daunting challenges, but I’m confident we will emerge from them better, as we always have.