By Teri Williams
Contributing Columnist
As president and owner of OneUnited Bank, the nation’s largest Black owned bank, for more than 20 years, I have an understanding of what it’s like to lead in an environment where leadership by a Black woman is not common or expected. Here are some lessons learned from my experience that may be helpful for other women who find themselves in this role.
Trust Black women. It’s important to lean on Black women. When you are facing difficult moments, Black women can give you unconditional advice based on your values and,
importantly, their own experience with similar moments. The leadership team of OneUnited Bank is 50% Black women.
Embrace your authenticity. Avoid adopting the culture of your environment to the detriment of your authentic voice. Everyone will trust you more if you speak authentically, including about your experience as a Black woman, than if you attempt to just “fit in.”
Do not believe “their ice is colder.” For many years, OneUnited Bank positioned itself as a community bank that happened to be Black owned. In 2015, we embraced our current positioning as an unapologetic Black owned bank, and our customer base tripled.
Attract a mosaic of support. Diversity matters. You need different voices, ideas and skills to achieve success. Do not duplicate the lack of diversity in corporate America’s current leadership.
OneUnited Bank has a leadership team that has worked together for more than 20 years and includes a full range of diverse, top-notch professionals. We are Black owned and Black managed, but not exclusively Black.
Accept being twice as good. We have been taught by our parents that as a Black person, you have to be twice as good to be successful. Regrettably it’s true.
However, accepting this reality gives us an incentive to focus on details that are not always apparent.
OneUnited Bank is not only the largest Black owned bank in the United States, with members in all 50 states, boasting the largest surcharge free ATM network of any bank in America, and one of the first banks to introduce artificial intelligence to help our customers make better financial decisions, in real time, with state of the art technology.
We do all of this because we know we must be twice as good.
Make their underestimation your superpower. Many will believe you are a “DEI hire” to their own peril. Any Black woman who has achieved the presidency level, had to accomplish and exhibit an extraordinary level of intelligence, self-reliance, hard work and perseverance to get there. While others underestimate your strength, use your superpower to leave them in the dust.
OneUnited Bank began our investment in technology in 1999, launched our focus on financial literacy for children in 2000, and introduced our digital platform in 2006 when many thought we were nuts and should instead focus on a brick and mortar branch network strategy. Today, after over 20 years of digital and financial literacy experience, many are trying to duplicate our success and we have become an industry leader in technology.
Surround yourself with Black art. When you spend lots of time in environments that have not traditionally had Black leadership, it helps to feed your soul by surrounding yourself with Black art.
You may notice that traditional environments have invested in art for generations, but the art simply does not look like us. Our unique cultural experience is not reflected or celebrated. Don’t underestimate your physical environment and the impact it can have on your mental health and self image.
At OneUnited Bank, we have placed unapologetically Black art on our Visa debit cards, have walls and walls of Black art, and even host a Black artist-in-residence in our Miami office.
And finally, trust your judgment. Despite recent ridiculous comments to the contrary, we did not just become Black. Our experiences growing up Black in America build on each other.
We have an intuition about dangers ahead — because we have faced physical, mental and emotional dangers — and the right path forward. In the end, trust your judgment.
Today, OneUnited Bank is embracing financial wellness because — in our judgment — building generational wealth is an important ingredient to emotional and physical well being. We’re also embracing unity, despite the current political divisiveness. In our judgment, America will joyously move towards a greater sense of love and belonging. Check back to assess our judgment in coming years.
Teri Williams is the president and chief operating officer of One United Bank, the largest Black-owned bank in the United States.
