Category: See the Good

IdeaBank: Be the Difference Maker

Denise Canfield learned early on that to make a difference you have to take on new challenges, even when they make you uncomfortable.

When Denise Canfield’s son left for college, she put down her thoughts – all the things she wanted to say – on paper and presented the life lessons to him as a book.

The head of Regions Branch Support Services, Canfield realized that most of her advice was about leadership and relationships. And the advice is applicable today, for those who want to be the difference maker at work or at home.

For example:

  • Accepting new ideas — “Cast your net wide. Be inclusive, not exclusive. … You don’t want to have all the answers. You want to be the one who listens.”
  • Taking risks — “You grow the most when you are most uncomfortable. Don’t shy away from an opportunity.”
  • Having positive energy — “When you go into a meeting, you want to be the one people are high-fiving, not desk diving.”
  • Being ready for the unexpected — “You need to be prepared to step in, to step up. Because how we act, or how we react, or how we behave in that moment might be the difference in failing or succeeding. So be ready. And be the difference maker.”

Canfield shared her personal story as a banking leader and as a mother at the inaugural IdeaBank at the Alys Stephens Center on the UAB campus in Birmingham. Ten speakers from Regions and the Birmingham community shared their stories and ideas with an audience of Regions bankers and community partners.

Learn more about the lessons gleaned by Denise Canfield in this video.